


The Fast And The Fierce

by Your_Favorite_Monegasque (F1_Fanatic)



Category: Blood Diamond (2006), Formula 1 RPF, Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: 2019 F1season, Crime, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Journalism, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, mass surveillance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-08-23 07:14:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16614344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_Fanatic/pseuds/Your_Favorite_Monegasque
Summary: Eleanor was supposed to have an exciting year reporting Formula One. But she wasn't expecting to fall in love with Ferrari's new driver and go after his main sponsor...





	1. New Season, New Job

**Author's Note:**

> This may not make sense completely if you haven't watched Blood Diamond (and Person of Interest in the next chapters) but if you still want to read it, just drop me a line and I'll explain. Also, if you're still watching PoI, I'm warning you there might be some spoilers so you'd better not read it if you don't want to find out what happens before you finish watching the show.  
> If you enjoy, please kudo/comment.

March 2019, New York  
Eleanor was beaming ear to ear as she reached the Archers' flat downtown. She eagerly pressed the doorbell and waited in excited silence as she tried to measure her breath after all that running.  
"Ya?" a moody Danny Archer appeared on the doorstep after at least 60 seconds.  
"Good morning, Danny!" Eleanor greeted him warmly.  
"Archer" he corrected her.  
"Is Maddy here, Danny?" she ignored him, already making her way into the flat.  
"Archer" he sighed grumpily as she passed him by.  
Eleanor darted straight to the kitchen, knowing that was Maddy's place so early in the morning, preparing her son's breakfast.  
"Rudo, hurry up! You're gonna be late for school!" Maddy yelled at the boy just as her younger colleague entered the room. "Hello Eleanor. What are you doing here so early?" she questioned while moving around the kitchen to get everything for breakfast settled.  
The blonde journalist pulled a deep breath clear of her emotions before answering:  
"Maddy, I got the job".  
In a heartbeat, Maddy left whatever she was doing and quickly approached her young friend, eyes wide open.  
"You got the job?" she reiterated, not quite believing it. "You really got the job?".  
Eleanor grinned as she nodded.  
"That's wonderful!" Maddy exclaimed, hugging her warmly. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!".  
"Relax, it's not as big as you make it sound" Eleanor managed to escape her grip.  
"Of course it is" Maddy insisted as she went back to making breakfast. "It's your very first full-time job. That's huge! What is it about again?".  
Eleanor hesitated before explaining.  
"It's, uh..." she coughed slightly, not really knowing how Maddy might react to this "...it's a position for a sports journalist in Top Sports, basically covering Formula One" she finally revealed, avoiding to meet Maddy's gaze.  
Upon hearing that, Maddy lifted her eyes from the pancakes she was making and turned to face her friend, whose gaze was firmly fixed on the floor.  
"Formula One?" she gasped in utter disbelief. "Since when are you interested in motorsports? I thought you wanted to work as a police reporter".  
Eleanor let a sigh out and sat on one of the bar stools so she and Maddy were now face to face.  
"Maddy, thanks for everything you have done for me but I can't be your assistant forever. I'm already 22 and if I don't start building on my career on my own now, I never will. I like Formula One, it reminds me of my father and the few good times I had with him. Besides, you always say “It's not where you begin, it's where you end up”. Who knows, maybe some day The Times come knocking on my door and I can finally be a police reporter, but for the time being this job is all I have. I do want it, Maddy".  
Maddy was speechless for a second. Then, she glanced at younger journalist, whose determined look made her realize the best she could do was to support her.  
"OK then, so be it" she agreed nodding.  
Eleanor just managed to smile in response before Rudo, Danny and Maddy's four-year-old son, burged into the room, dragging his school bag after him.  
"Aunt Eleanor!" the boy exclaimed happily at the sight of his mom's best friend, hugging her leg. "I missed you very much!".  
Eleanor laughed and kneeled down to his level to take him in her arms and seat him in one of the chairs.  
"I missed you, too, honey" she informed him, softly kissing his forehead.  
"Rudo, aunt Eleanor will be a Formula One reporter from now on" Maddy told the news to her son as she placed a full plate in front of him.  
"Really? That is awesome!" the boy praised between his bites, eyes wide open in pure fascination. "Well done, aunt Eleanor!".  
Eleanor chuckled and ruffled through his hair -for an ex-mercenary and a war correspondent's son Rudo was surprisingly sweet.  
"Thank you, sweetheart" she smiled at the child, accepting the cup of coffee Maddy offered her. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she added, well aware what a passionate fan of motorsports Rudo was, even at four years of age.  
"Oh, I have a Ferrari cap Mummy got me last year. Will you ask Sebastian to sign it for me?" Rudo pleaded with big puppy eyes.  
The puppy eyes weren't really necessary to convince Eleanor since that was one of the main reasons she adored Rudo -he liked the people she liked and hated the people she hated.  
"Of course I will" she assured, causing the boy's face to transform into a big grin.  
"Really? Thank you so much, aunt Eleanor! Will you tell him I'm sure he'll win his fifth championship this year, although Mummy says he's too hot-headed to do that?".  
Maddy shot a strict glance at her son, knowing he would never leave for school should that conversation about his motorsports idol continue for any longer.  
"Mummy also says you're going to be late if you don't leave now" she reminded him.  
Rudo let out a small sigh of discomfort but did stand up and allowed his mother to help him put on his jacket and adjust his backpack in his shoulders.  
"Bye, honey. Have a nice day" Maddy gently kissed her son before letting him go.  
Rudo walked towards Eleanor and looked at her with pleading eyes.  
"I'll tell him" the journalist promised smiling and Rudo finally left for school, a big smile plastered on his face.

* * *

Melbourne, Australia|Thursday  
"Hello everyone. Welcome to the Australian Grand Prix pre-race press conference and welcome to the 2019 Formula One season...".  
"... Max, has Redbull progressed from the last years, or are still fighting for third place in the Championship?".  
"Well, to answer your question...".  
Charles got to his garage just as the press conference was starting, greeted each and every of his mechanics and finally plopped on one of the chairs to watch the press conference with them, letting a silent sigh escape his lips. He had been smiling, shaking hands and being interviewed all day, so by now he was actually stumbling over his feet. But, then again, it was the first season he was joining is childhood dream in the form of the red car; he certainly couldn't complain about that.  
"Eleanor Woods, Top Sports magazine...".  
The camera turned to a breath-taking journalist, with luscious blond hair at the height of her shoulders and mesmerizing blue eyes, and Charles could swear he noticed a cheeky whistle spreading all over the Ferrari garage.  
"I have two questions, actually. First, Seb, you have a new teammate this year, can you give us your thoughts on that?".  
At this point, there were numerous pats on Charles' back to which he smiled weakly and then forced himself to concentrate on the German's answer:  
"Well, it's a shame Kimi moved to Sauber this year, but I understand it will give him more free time to spend with his kids" Sebastian joked. "Luckily, his car is in very capable hands. Charles is really gifted, really competitive and I'm sure he'll be on the top step for the next years, so it should be quite an interesting season".  
"No eating him alive, right?" Eleanor smiled.  
"No, I promise I don't bite" Sebastian smiled back.  
Charles had to admit he felt much more relieved knowing the German was pleased to have him as a teammate, even though he wasn't Kimi.  
"OK, thank you. Lewis, coming to you, Valtteri has been been your wingman for the last couple of seasons, so what are the chances he's allowed to win this year and potentially even challenge for the Championship?".  
"It's going to the same with last year" Lewis replied. "I mean, Valtteri has been free to race me ever since he came to Mercedes and, as we drive the same car, if I can win the title, he can as well. Why this hasn't happened, I believe that's more a question for him".  
Eleanor let out a sarcastic laugh.  
"You know, Lew, half of your wins last year were because of Valtteri sacrificing his own race to hold up the others for you. That 2018 trophy that has your name on it, you should split it in two and give the one half to him".  
It was obvious Lewis was getting furious since apparently she had a point.  
"You know what? I refuse to answer your question" he declared annoyed.  
"Fine, don't. But I'm not the one whining for someone else's help".  
At the Ferrari hospitality, everyone was cheering for the dynamic young woman who was boldly speaking her mind, and even Charles found himself admiring her.  
"Who talked about that?" Lewis snapped. "I'm a five-time World Champion, darling! You don't get to talk about me!".  
Eleanor smiled bitterly at the Briton.  
"Why? Vulnerable to criticism, Lew? Or you just can't face the truth? Tell me which one when you figure out".  
OK, that girl was certainly impressive.


	2. There For You

"Guess who's here" Maddy told her husband and son in a sing song voice the next Tuesday evening.

"Aunt Eleanor!" Rudo exclaimed, just as the young reporter stepped into the living room, and he darted to her embrace. "How was the race? How was Sebastian? Did you tell him about me?".

Maddy was watching her son in amused silence as she sat next to Danny on the sofa and gave him a pretty obvious nudge so that he stopped trying to glare her friend to death for invading their family time.

"The race was OK, I guess, although I'd rather someone else who isn't Lewis had won, Sebastian was smiley as always and he got super excited when I told him about you" Eleanor replied with a grin.

Rudo's eyes widened in awe.

"Really?".

"Yeah, he even sent a gift for you" Eleanor said looking into her purse, finally holding up the red cap the boy had given her a few days ago, and put it on him. "Here you go, champ".

Rudo instantly took it off with a huge smile and scanned every inch of it.

"Signed by Sebastian?" he asked to be 100% sure about it.

"By the whole team Ferrari, actually" Eleanor explained. "They all loved you! Maurizio said you can even pass by their garage if you ever go to a Grand Prix".

Rudo looked at her absolutely speechless, then gave her the biggest hug he could.

"Thank you, aunt Eleanor" he whispered in her ear.

"Any time, sweetheart" Eleanor whispered back.

Obviously uncomfortable with the whole exchange, Archer awkwardly cleared his throat and stood up.

"OK, Eleanor, thank you for paying us a visit -we had started to miss you- but we were about to have dinner when you interrupted us, so you might want to...".

"Join us?" Maddy interfered before he kicked her friend out.

Eleanor looked at her surprised, almost as much as Danny himself.

"I'd love to" she gladly accepted the invitation.

 

Dinners at the Archers' could get really weird and unpleasant when Danny decided the guests should become aware of the old good times he had spent in Africa as a mercenary and smuggler. However, that particular evening Eleanor didn't have the honor of being narrated one of his adventures since Rudo was constantly asking questions about the Grand Prix and his Ferrari idol and she willingly answered each and every single one of them.

After they all finished dinner, Rudo really wanted to stay awake a bit longer to further question his mummy's friend on the F1 legend that was Sebastian Vettel, but ultimately exhaustion took over him and he had to say goodnight. As Maddy went upstairs to put her son to bed, Danny and Eleanor were left alone in the living room, and the young reporter was quick to take a seat next to the South African in the couch, despite the dissatisfied sigh she noticed escaping his lips.

"You know it's not your fault Rudo looks up to Sebastian, right?".

"How did that occur to you, huh?" Danny replied in his usual sarcastic tone of voice. "Think you know everything, huh? It might work in Formula One but not with me".

Eleanor shot him a confused glance.

"I was made to watch the press conference on Thursday" Danny explained. "You really told Hamilton off, even I was impressed by that. But I'm not Hamilton. I won't just sit and listen to you criticizing me".

Eleanor let a small laugh out.

"First, we're not talking about Ham. He always causes me a real headache so I won't talk about him unless I can't help it. Second, I don't want to criticize you. I'm just trying to tell you you are a good father. Not an ideal one, but a good one who is actually doing his best and I'm sure Rudo appreciates that much more than any trophy or title Sebastian Vettel could ever win".

It was silent for a moment before Danny chuckled, a bit ironically.

"Always speaking your mind, huh? Just so you know, I hate you for that".

In full contrast with his tone of voice, his ocean blue eyes were sparkling with emotion, showing how much he appreciated the journalist's words.

"Nah, you love me" Eleanor played his game with a slight smile. "You'd save my life if need be".

* * *

Sakhir, Bahrain|Thursday

"Pierre, last year you failed to finish 4 out of 21 races in your first full season in Formula One" Eleanor started her question to the youngster with a smile that almost looked terrifying. "You actually seem to have made a habit of that, having retired from this year's Australian Grand Prix. Why do you believe it keeps happening? Is it because of the car, because of you or is it a combination of factors? And how do you plan to deal with it? Are you going to work on it or are you just going to let it happen?".

"Well, as a driver, you always want to improve, no matter if that is on becoming more competitive or simply trying to avoid retirements, so I'm certainly working on that. At the moment, it doesn't look too good, but I hope it turns around pretty soon" the Frenchman replied calmly, although the judging look in Eleanor's eyes was scaring the hell out of him. "Now, why it happens... Most likely it's, as you put it, a combination of factors, not all of which I'm prepared to discuss here. Sometimes we've just been unlucky, getting involved in incidents that were someone else's fault, and of course, we've had quite a few engine failures that ultimately were costly".

Eleanor gave him a sweet smile, which only frightened him more.

"You know, Pierre, when you were announced as a Redbull driver last year, you were pretty confident about the partnership with Honda and their engines. Now, you just don't seem so sure anymore".

Pierre swallowed hard. He didn't want to talk about it. His team didn't have to know exactly what he was thinking of the Honda engines. Yet, he felt everyone in the room staring at him. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't help it.

"I didn't mean to put the blame on Honda" he mumbled, his voice just above a whisper. "The car feels good, the engine feels good, we just haven't made the most of it yet".

Pierre couldn't hide his relief when the journalists turned to Kevin Magnussen on his left. After spending a couple of minutes trying to compose himself, he finally built up the courage to look back up but Eleanor's knowing stare made him regret it on instant.

 

"I hate that blonde devil journalist" Pierre complained as he and Charles walked down the pit lane and out of the track later that evening.

"Eleanor Woods?" Charles asked, his ears already loving the sound of her name. "Why?".

Pierre shot him a confused glance.

"Didn't you watch the press conference?".

"Yeah, so?".

"So?" Pierre reiterated, not quite believing his own ears. "She brought me in a really difficult position there. I couldn't just admit it's Honda's fault" he lowered his voice.

"I don't know. She was nice to me after the race in Australia" Charles shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe she has a soft spot for you" Pierre scoffed.

Charles' face lightened up, obviously pleased at the prospect.

"You think so?".

"What? Of course not! You had just scored your first podium for Ferrari after starting 7th in Melbourne" Pierre pointed out. "She couldn't say anything bad about that".

Charles let a small sigh out and opened the door of his car since they had now arrived at the parking lot.

"I still think she's a good reporter" he insisted.

Pierre huffed, a bit louder than necessary.

"Mark my words, she's going to cause a disaster sooner than later. When that happens, you wouldn't want to be anywhere near her".

 

A couple of minutes later, Eleanor was making her way to the parking lot as well, pleased with herself that she had forced Pierre Gasly to face the truth, when a glimpse of red caught her eye. A Ferrari. Of course, it could belong to Sebastian or Charles, but she had seen the Monegasque leaving the circuit earlier and it hadn't Swiss license plates, either. Plus, she was quite sure she knew the man that was standing next to the car, loudly arguing with someone via a phone call.

"Rupert Simmons" she recognized, as soon as she could get a good look at his face, her heart skipping a beat.

The man stared at her confused for a second.

"I'll call you back" he quickly hung up before turning to the young woman on his right: "I'm sorry, have we met?".

Eleanor shook her head in denial.

"No, but you know a friend of mine, Maddy Bowen".

"So, you're the mini me of the brat Bowen" Simmons realized with a sarcastic smile. "What do you want?".

"I'm not reporting to you" Eleanor clarified glaring at him. "How did you get the car? Blood diamonds again?".

"No, darling" Simmons chuckled, proudly glancing at the vehicle. "That's Ferrari's gift for my company's generous sponsorship to their Formula One team".

"Trying to mess up Formula One after Africa, Simmons?" Eleanor snapped, although utterly surprised at the news. "I'm warning you, if I find out you're involved in anything illegal, it'll be the end of you".

Simmons let out a laugh, clearly amused at the reporter's boldness.

"Looks like Bowen trained you well. Let me make this clear to you" he lowered to her height, whispering in her ear. "If you or Bowen ever mess with me again, I'll make sure you both get what you deserve and, trust me, it won't be nice. Your courage won't count when you're six feet under, got it?".

He looked at the journalist one last time to ensure he had made his point and then stepped into his Ferrari.

"Goodbye, darling" he greeted ironically and started the engine, leaving Eleanor behind in complete shock.

* * *

The next morning, Charles arrived quite early at the circuit, wanting to talk with his engineers before the two Free Practice sessions. Although the paddock was almost empty that time in the morning, he was pleased to find Eleanor already there, sitting at the stairs in front of the Sauber hospitality, hooked into her laptop's screen with a cup of coffee in her hands. He was standing a few meters away so there was no chance she could have noticed him. The chat with his mechanics long forgotten, Charles couldn't help but stare at her. He was actually admiring her, the way she had scrunched her nose to concentrate on whatever she was reading, how she had knitted her eyebrows because apparently whatever she was going through was getting to her nerves; Charles thought she was looking rather cute. Realizing his old team was the perfect cover, he quietly let a sigh out and decided to take his chances.

"Homework?" he playfully asked once he had closed the distance between them.

Eleanor lifted her eyes in surprise but instinctively smirked when she saw the Monegasque.

"Contrary to you, I work" she snapped.

Charles chuckled and joined her on the stairs.

"Trust me, I have my own homework as well, which is way more boring than..." he looked over her shoulder at her laptop reading the headline: «Safety Net enters Formula One as Ferrari sponsor». 

"Safety Net?" he said in disbelief. "I don't suppose that is part of your job".

Sighing, Eleanor closed her laptop and put it aside next to her.

"So..." she started taking a sip of coffee "...care to explain why are you bothering me that early in the morning?".

"Am I not allowed to greet old friends?" Charles shrugged with a smile, pointing towards the building behind them. "You?".

Eleanor smiled cheekily.

"Am I not allowed to spend ten minutes without one of you guys annoying me?".

They both laughed at that, Charles loving that cool intoxicating attitude she held feeling so confident in herself.

"Sorry for asking!" he raised his hands in defense.

"You should be" she joked.

Suddenly, there was a moment of silence none of them could bear.

"Seriously, though..." Eleanor hesitated, absentmindedly drawing patterns in the cup in her hands. "I couldn't sleep".

"I'm sorry to hear that" Charles said, sounding more alert . "Any particular reason?".

"A bit of everything" Eleanor sighed. "The different time zones, home sickness, busy schedule, the past hunting me down no matter where I am...".

She immediately stopped herself, realizing she had probably said too much.

"I'm sorry, I get carried away sometimes".

"I don't mind" Charles assured, touching her knee for comfort. "I'm still here if you want to talk about it".

Eleanor noticed the genuine interest in his voice and glanced down at his hand on her knee. She wanted nothing more than make Charles her shoulder to cry on but before she could give in, realization hit. She couldn't risk her career for some moments with Ferrari's Monegasque driver, especially now that the paddock had started to get crowded.

"No, thanks, I should head back to the press pen" she announced, quickly picking up her belongings and standing up. "Guess I see you around" she waved at him as she started walking away.

Charles didn't wave back, worried and surprised at her reaction -not that she noticed anyway, too confused with her own feelings. He couldn't let her go like that.

"Eleanor!" he called after her and breathed a sigh of relief when she turned around. "Just to know, you've made quite an impression so far to almost everyone".

"I hope so" she replied. "Some people just can't stand the truth".

"Keep it up, they deserve it" Charles grinned. "I'm a big fan".

Eleanor flashed him a smile and it was actually one of her rare honest smiles, which made Charles think he had butterflies in his stomach.

"Thanks, Charlie. I appreciate it".

He smiled at her in response.

"See you" she waved at him and this time Charles did wave back, looking forward to meeting the journalist again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos/comments are more than welcome!


	3. The Truth Ran Free

Shanghai, China|Friday

"Hey, what are you watching?" Sebastian walked in Charles' side of the garage where the Monegasque was glued to the small TV screen in the corner. He had finished FP1 in P5 and he could use anything as a distraction right now.

"The press conference" Charles replied simply, his eyes scanning every millimeter of the room in search of a particular journalist and his face lightened up as Eleanor's name was announced.

Sebastian was quick to notice and smirked when Charles gave his undivided attention to follow Eleanor's question for Maurizio. Who knows, he thought, he might had just become aware of one of his teammate's secrets.

"I guess she's your favorite reporter?" he asked innocently.

"At the time, yes" Charles confirmed nodding. "I like how she speaks her mind without even thinking of the consequences. By the way, did you know she's half American half German?".

Sebastian of course knew that but wisely chose not to tell his teammate.

"Is she?".

"Yes. She was born in Berlin by a German mother and an American father. Her mother was a journalist, a war correspondent in Africa and later Middle East who eventually was killed in Syria...".

"You've been researching on the Internet?" Sebastian looked pretty amused but Charles was completely ignoring him at that point.

"Her father, on the other hand, was a Math teacher and a big motorsports fan, that's how she started watching Formula One".

"I knew that" Sebastian protested, not wanting to hear every single detail of Eleanor's biography. "She told me while we were having dinner after Singapore 2017".

Before he had even finished his sentence, Charles was on his feet, looking at his teammate with wide surprised eyes, his lower jaw almost hitting the floor.

"You know her? I mean like... personally?".

"Ja, her family moved to Heppenheim when she was 4" Sebastian explained, not holding a laugh back at the Monegasque's reaction. "I've known her long before she started working in F1".

"Why you never told me?" Charles questioned.

"I didn't know you were that interested in her" Sebastian shrugged. "But I can always arrange a dinner for you two lovebirds".

"We're not lovebirds" Charles clarified, his head falling a bit.

"Oh, really? Because it seems to me you're starting to fall for her" Sebastian gave him a friendly nudge smiling.

Charles didn't answer, not even smile back, so lost in his thoughts. Hearing Sebastian saying it, made him realize it himself: He was falling for Eleanor Woods, no matter how hard he was trying to hide it.

* * *

Maurizio gulped in anxiety when he heard the young journalist's question:

"Mr Arrivabene, Ferrari has a new sponsor this year, Safety Net, a company that specializes in security services, including surveillance cameras and anti-virus programs. Are you aware of the fact that SN has been providing the US Government with surveillance cameras for the past 3 years?".

"I don't know. I don't go Sherlock Holmes about our sponsors" Maurizio scoffed with a slight sarcastic smile.

The room filled with laughter from the other reporters but Eleanor just glared at the Italian.

"I'm being serious" she insisted. "Your sponsor could be part of a massive citizen surveillance and you honestly don't give a damn? How anti-professional is that?".

"With all due respect, Ms Woods, but I think you've been reading too many conspiracy theories" Maurizio replied harshly, annoyed to say the least. "Unless you have specific proof against our sponsor, I don't want to hear another word about it".

"You will when Simmons will be spending the rest of his life behind bars" Eleanor sighed, mostly to herself since another reporter was already putting ahead a different question for the Ferrari man.

* * *

Eleanor finished the hamburger Sebastian had treated her and looked at the German sitting opposite to her.

"So, bother to tell me the real reason why I am sitting here, having dinner with you instead of catching up some sleep?" she asked.

"Other than thanking you for making Maurizio furious because you accused our main sponsor of spying on US citizens?" Sebastian grinned.

Eleanor chuckled at the thought of his team principle going mad at the garage.

"And I thought he wasn't interested!".

Sebastian chuckled back.

"I'm sure you'll figure out what's going on" he assured and after a short pause he continued: "Anyway, the real reason I wanted to talk to you is Charles".

At the mention of the Monegasque's name, Eleanor shifted nervously in her chair.

"Leclerc? How's your teammate any business of mine?".

"Come on, Eleanor. Don't pretend with me. I know you like him".

The young woman sternly rolled her eyes at him.

"How did you figure out exactly?" she demanded, her tone of voice instinctively rising.

"I've read your articles" Sebastian explained calmly. "Lewis is always “Hamilton” and Max is always “Verstappen” but I'm always “Seb” and from now on he's always “Charles” as well".

"I respect him as a driver" Eleanor mumbled, folding her arms in front of her chest, the excuse too poor even for herself to believe.

"You also respect Norris as a driver but you never refer to him as “Lando”" Sebastian pointed out. "You like him, it's obvious".

"I don't" Eleanor denied under her breath, avoiding to meet the German's gaze.

"And he likes you too".

At that, Eleanor actually looked up, her lower jaw almost dropping to the ground.

"What? How do you know? Did he say that?".

"Kind of, ja" Sebastian shrugged.

"That's not a complete yes, Seb" Eleanor protested.

Sebastian shot her a stern glance.

"I found him watching the press conference today morning just after FP1, I bet he hadn't even talked with his engineers. He's been reading about you on the Internet. He's falling for you, Eleanor, I can tell".

In her heart, Eleanor knew she was falling for the Monegasque as well but she also knew she was putting too much at stake should she admit her feelings.

"That doesn't change anything. I don't like him, even if he likes me" she insisted.

"You're an awful liar, you know that, Eleanor?" Sebastian grinned. "I saw you at the post-race press conferences in Australia and Bahrain. All you did was glancing over at each other when you thought no one was looking".

"But apparently we were wrong, weren't we?" she teased smiling.

"Come on, admit it" Sebastian nudged her softly.

"OK, fine. I like your teammate more than I should" Eleanor sighed finally. "But that doesn't mean we can be together".

"Why not? You'd make a cute couple".

"And I'd be the reporter who let handsome men around her distract her from doing her job" Eleanor remarked sighing. "Not to mention Charles would be the racing driver dating the journalist that's after his sponsor. What kind of couple would we be then, Seb?".

Sebastian let a sad sigh out and remained silent for some moments, trying to come up with some sort of a solution.

"Well, just because you can't be together in public doesn't mean you can't be together at all" he said finally with a hopeful look in his eyes. "You could be my guest at racing weekends so you wandering around in our garage wouldn't look suspicious and he could fly to New York after the races to see you. Just give him a chance, Eleanor. He really wants it".

Eleanor looked at him in surprise, eyes wide open. This might actually stood a chance to work.


	4. We Will Rise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is shorter than usual but hope you enjoy nonetheless!

Baku, Azerbaijan|Sunday

Charles could hardly believe it when he jumped out of his blood red Ferrari and ran towards his cheering team. P1! He had won his first race in Formula One! He couldn't be happier.

"Good job, kid!" Sebastian patted his shoulder, smiling softly.

Charles smiled back, feeling close to tears. The win that had been slipping through his hands was finally his.

He enjoyed every single second of the podium ceremony -the national anthems playing in the background, his team and fans celebrating and waving giant Ferrari flags, spraying his engineers and his teammate with the champagne. His smile widened even more as he walked with Lewis and Sebastian towards the press pen: Eleanor was going to be there.

"Eleanor Woods, Top Sports Magazine".

"Charles, congratulations for the win! It's your first overall and with Ferrari as well. Considering how those first three races have gone for you, just how important is it for you?".

"First of all, thank you" Charles grinned at her. "Now, to answer your question, it's very important, actually. As you said, the first three races have been quite difficult for me -I think I'm making a habit of that- having had a challenging qualifying session in Australia, a disastrous pit stop in Bahrain and a gearbox penalty in China, so it's good to see the tables are turning finally. And of course, I've done it in a Ferrari, which is something very special for me as it's always been my dream to drive the red car so, yeah, just really happy I've done it".

He looked at the journalist and she smiled warmly at him, causing his heart to flicker in his chest.

* * *

Eleanor was making her way outside the press pen when she heard a certain Monegasque shouting her name.

"Yes, Charlie?" she turned to face him, flashing him a sweet smile. "Congratulations for the win, by the way".

Charles smiled back, both because of the compliment and the fact that her nickname for him had already stuck.

"Thanks, but you told me earlier at the press conference, remember?".

Eleanor laughed softly.

"You don't miss anything, do you?" she joked before questioning: "So, why were you looking for me?".

"Just wanted to check on you" Charles replied and at the confused expression she gave him, he proceeded explaining: "You told me you had too much in your head in Bahrain, I wanted to know if you're feeling any better".

Eleanor almost smacked herself in the forehead. She really should learn to hold her tongue and on top of that she had terrible memory.

"Yeah, a lot better, thanks".

Charles nodded sympathetically and started playing nervously with his fingers.

"So, that's all?" Eleanor asked meaningfully, eyebrows raised in anticipation.

Charles sighed heavily. There was no turning back now.

"Actually, no" he admitted. "Seb told me you two have been talking? About me and about... us?" he hesitated blushing.

It was Eleanor's turn to sigh. She wasn't the only one who had to learn to hold their tongue after all.

"Yeah, we talked" she confessed after some silent seconds. "In Shanghai".

"So, do I stand a chance?" Charles asked hopefully, his cheeks turning a brighter shade of crimson.

"Yes" Eleanor replied simply. "You do".

Instantly, Charles' face transformed into a big grin.

"Really? Can I take you out for dinner some time, then?".

Eleanor chuckled at his reaction. It was incredible how excited he had gotten at the prospect.

"Sure thing, Charlie" she playfully slapped his arm. "I'll text you the details of when and where".

They said their goodbyes and parted ways, the feeling of something nice between the two of them being born still present in the atmosphere.


	5. Date Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay but I've spent the last week sneezing so here we go again!

New York|Wednesday

"Really? He asked for a date?" Maddy exclaimed standing up to place their empty mugs in the sink, Eleanor trailing her. "That's wonderful!".

Eleanor thought she had misheard at first.

"Wonderful?" she reiterated, eyes wide open in disbelief. "No, Maddy, this is so not wonderful!".

"But why?" Maddy questioned.

"Because he's a racing driver and I'm the reporter who's supposed to interview him, not admire his looks! Because he lives in Monaco and I'm settled in New York! Because we could never let anyone know we are together!" Eleanor pointed out, fidget obvious in her tone of voice. "Because it could never work, that's why!".

"Not everyone has to know you're seeing each other. And you could fly to Monaco or him could come to visit you between races".

Eleanor let a heavy sigh out. Maddy's words reminded her of Seb's ones in Shanghai, everything against her claim that an alleged relationship with Charles Leclerc wouldn't last due to their different lifestyles.

"Come on, you two would make a adorable couple" Maddy insisted. "Besides, you've always fancied a date with Leclerc ever since you heard of his name".

"Being platonically in love with someone is one thing and getting into a relationship with that someone is a completely different thing" Eleanor objected, blushing slightly. "I'm not sure I want this to happen".

"Eleanor, nobody says you have to start a relationship with him just because he'll take you out for dinner. Just try to work out your true feelings" Maddy sighed. "And to be absolutely honest with you, I don't think this complete denial has anything at all to do with Charles. I think you're too scared to let someone that close to you after everything that happened with Peter".

At the mention of her ex-boyfriend's name, Eleanor took her eyes off her friend and stared at the floor instead.

"Maybe" she mumbled under her breath.

Maddy let a sigh out, her previous fears having been confirmed, and took a seat next to the younger journalist, trying to offer some comfort.

"Eleanor, you can't keep avoiding people forever. Sometime you'll have to move on from what happened then. I promise you nothing will happen to Charles".

"How can you be so sure about it?" Eleanor managed to utter, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Because you care for him. You won't do anything that would put him in danger" Maddy replied. "I almost lost Danny because I wasn't brave enough. I don't want you to do the same mistake".

Eleanor nodded, taking in Maddy's words, and wiped away a few stray tears.

"How's Danny?" she turned her attention to the South African. "How's his new job?".

"Fine, I guess" Maddy shrugged. "That boss of his, that Harold Finch or whatever his name is, is a very private person. And I'm not sure what he exactly pays Danny to do".

"What kind of a job is it supposed to be?" Eleanor frowned, her nature of a police reporter emerging to the surface.

"He claims to give people second chances but I don't know how he does that" Maddy replied with a sigh.

"And you don't worry about that?" Eleanor questioned.

"Sometimes, yes" Maddy admitted. "But it makes Danny happy and love is about seeing the other happy, right?".

* * *

Barcelona, Spain|Sunday

Charles stood out of Eleanor's hotel room and took a deep breath as he knocked on the door. He hadn't had an ideal race weekend, having only managed 5th in qualifying when Sebastian was on pole and at the race itself he had clashed with Valtteri at the exit of turn 1, leaving him with a broken front wing and last, but it was nice knowing that he would meet Eleanor later. And indeed, there she was standing, grinning fondly at him.

"Hey there".

Charles couldn't help but admire her. It was a plain dusty-pink dress, white high heels, short blond hair shaped in natural curves and a bright lipstick, but there was something in her overall appearance that made her look out of this world.

"Stop staring!" Eleanor playfully slapped his arm chuckling, although her cheeks had turned slightly red.

Charles hadn't realized he was staring.

"Sorry" he cleared his throat. "You just look stunning".

Eleanor smiled, obviously pleased with the compliment, and gladly accepted his arm.

"Thanks, Charlie. You don't look bad yourself, either. Oh, great recovery, by the way" she remembered as they were climbing down the stairs. "Sixth after being 20th at some point, one of the best I've seen actually".

She was trying to cheer him up but wasn't really succeeding since the Monegasque next to her let a heavy sigh out.

"Had it not been for Bottas, it could've been a podium.

"At least, he retired" Eleanor shrugged.

"But my race was already messed up, wasn't it?".

They had reached the hotel's gate by then and Charles guided them towards the parking lot.

"Let's make a deal,OK?" he proposed as he held his fancy Ferrari's front door open for her, looking her straight in the eyes. "Let's not talk any more about racing tonight. Let it be just the two of us".

Eleanor looked at him tenderly. She certainly couldn't say no to that.

"OK" she smiled softly. "No more Formula One tonight. Just us".

* * *

The man dressed in black crossed the hotel aisle and stood in front of the door number 217, the very same one Eleanor had opened for Charles not that long ago. He checked for any possible witnesses and when he made sure no one would see him breaking in the journalist's room, he easily unlatched the lock and pushed the door open.

"I'm in" he informed his boss through their private line.

"Good. Now look for her computer" came the instant reply.

The man stared across the room in search of Eleanor's laptop and spotted it on the bedside table. He quickly turned it on and browsed through her files.

"You know, Simmons, it would make my life a lot easier if you just told me what to look for" he complained.

At the other end of the line, Rupert Simmons smirked.

"You'll learn the bigger plan in time. Anything that involves me or my company, for the time being".

His right hand didn't speak for a couple of moments.

"Wait, I think I found something" he said then clicking on the Word document labeled “Safety Net F1”. "It's her research on your security company and the sponsorship in Formula One" he explained.

"Good job, Craig" Simmons hailed. "I want it deleted as well as any copies. Your payment will be transferred to your bank account, as usual. Get out of there as quick as possible".

"Yes, sir".

"And Craig... Let her know we've been there".

* * *

"I'm being serious!" Charles protested at Eleanor not believing him as they drove back to the hotel. "How do you tell your engineer something like that? _“Hey, I couldn't hold myself so I went to the toilet in the cockpit”_ ".

"I wish I had seen his face when he heard that!" Eleanor was laughing to tears.

"You wouldn't want, seriously" Charles assured. "I thought he was going to fire me".

They both chuckled for some seconds as Charles parked his Ferrari in front of the hotel she was staying at.

"I had a great time, really" Eleanor informed him with a smile.

"So is there going to be another time?" Charles asked eagerly.

Eleanor smirked at him.

"I don't believe I'm actually going to say it but yes, I'd love that" she replied before leaning in to place a soft kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight Charles".

She quickly got out of his car and watched him driving away with a content smile on her face. Maybe Sebastian and Maddy were right, after all. Maybe things with Charles could indeed work out.

Much as she had enjoyed her date with Charles, Eleanor was exhausted and could really use a good night sleep. Her fatigue, however, disappeared the moment she stepped into her room. The lights were on and all of her belongings were scattered all over the floor. Eleanor immediately reached for her laptop, frantically scrolling through her files, her worst fears confirmed when she discovered her research on Simmons and his company was missing. She desperately leaned on the door, biting her bottom lip to stop it from trembling, already missing the warmth and protection she felt by Charles' side.


	6. Together (Finally)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd never post that but here it is! Enjoy!

Monte Carlo, Monaco|Wednesday

_Eleanor doesn't know how but she is back in that café in the corner with her former boyfriend, Peter O'Donnell, and while Peter is ordering coffee for them, she decides to check her e-mail for any response on her work apply when a message lights up. “Too dangerous files. Destroying process starts” it reads._

_"What on earth?" Eleanor mumbles annoyed as her phone goes dead._

_Peter lifted his eyes to meet hers._

_"What happened?" he asks curiously._

_"My phone just stopped working" she explains, randomly pressing every button on the device. "It said something about dangerous files"._

_"Let me have a look at it" Peter suggests, gently taking it from her hands._

_"You think you can manage a smartphone?" Eleanor teases smirking._

_"I'm a computer technician, Eleanor. That's my job" he reminds her with a smile, already connecting her phone with his laptop to check for any malfunctions. "The software looks OK" he informs her after a couple of minutes. "...and so does the core. Let's check the br... Wait" he suddenly freezes._

_"What?" Eleanor frowns._

_"When did you install “PC Safe”?" he wishes to know._

_Eleanor troubles her tongue between her teeth trying to remember._

_"Just last night. I needed an anti-virus program and this one had good reviews"._

_"What kind of files do you have in your phone?" Peter asks again._

_"Mostly research for Maddy's stories"._

_"Like what exactly?"._

_"A bit of everything" Eleanor shrugs. "The Kimberley Conference, the war in Ukraine, this week's corruption scandal of the government..."._

_"This is not good at all" Peter sighs trying to delete the app from her phone._

_Eleanor glances over at him worried._

_"What is it?" she urges him to say something but he remains silent. "You're scaring me"._

_Peter finally gives up trying to fix her phone and lets a heavy sigh out, mentally debating whether it is for her own good to stay in the dark._

_"“PC Safe” accesses the user's files and if it detects any potential threat for the national security, it automatically deletes the dangerous files" he quietly explains._

_"What?" Eleanor gasps in shock. "So it thinks I'm a threat to the US Government?"._

_Peter quickly shushes her before giving her a stern look._

_"Basically, yes" he replies in the lowest tone of his. "It deemed your research on the corruption case a threat to the Government"._

_Eleanor doesn't speak for a couple of moments, trying to calm herself down. She has never been a big supporter of conspiracy theories but now it has hit her harder than she could have possibly imagined._

_"How do you know?" she builds up the courage to talk again._

_"I work for the company that designs the program" Peter reveals. "I was a member of the team that created it. It's not only that app. It's a whole system that protects the public by eliminating any threats"._

_Eleanor nods, then her eyes are blown wide open as she takes in her boyfriend's phrasing._

_"Did you just say eliminating any threats? Does that mean they've hurt people? They've killed people? And if so, are they coming for me next?"._

_It's obvious at that moment Eleanor is on the verge of having a panic attack and Peter knows he has to calm her down, even though the answer she is asking for is far from calming._

_"Hey, look at me" he softly prompts, taking her shaking hands in his. "I can't promise you anything that is beyond my control but I can and I will promise you that you won't be alone. No matter what happens, I'll be by your side. We'll get through this together, OK?"._

_Much to his relief, Eleanor does seem a little less scared as she nods in agreement._

_Despite Peter's reassuring tone, a couple of days later the police turns up at Eleanor's doorstep, asking questions about her relationship with the young computer expert._

_"Do you know Peter O'Donnell?" the one detective demands, while the other carefully puts down what the journalist is saying._

_"I do, he's my boyfriend" Eleanor replies starting to feel insecure and maybe a bit frightened._

_"When did you last see him?"._

_"Two days ago. We were having coffee at a café close to his flat"._

_"Did you notice anything unusual? For example, did he look stressed? Did he say anything suspicious?"._

_Eleanor swallows hard. She can't tell them he talked about the true nature of his job._

_"Not as far as I can remember" she retorts instead._

_"Does he have any enemies?"._

_That's the point where Eleanor almost forgets how to breathe. All these questions, it can't be a good sign._

_"OK, what is that, the twenty questions? I refuse to keep answering unless you tell me what this is really about" she decisively folds her arms in front of her chest._

_The two detectives exchange a nervous look and then the one sighs._

_"Peter O'Donnell is dead. He committed suicide"._

* * *

Eleanor was harshly awaken by the nightmare. Why?, she thought to herself. Why did the flashbacks have to always come back? Of course, her little encounter with Simmons, or rather the mess he had left behind, just a few days ago wasn't helping at all. Deep breaths, in and out. Don't think about it, it's over.

When she finally managed to calm herself down, Eleanor rubbed her tired eyes and checked the time in her phone's timeline. 06:42. There was no way she could go back to sleep after a flashback like that. Besides, it wasn't that early. She had to be at the track for the pre-race press conference and interviews in a couple of hours anyway; a morning walk, a hot shower and a strong cup of coffee before that wouldn't hurt at all. Eleanor threw away her covers and sat at the edge of the bed, letting a soft sigh out, as she tried to pull together her overwhelming thoughts. She really wished Charles could be there right now.

 

"Welcome to the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix pre-race press conference. Today, we have with us Daniel Ricciardo of Renault, George Russell of Williams and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari...".

"Eleanor Woods, Top Sports magazine...".

Charles looked up with a tiny smile, wishing the blonde journalist's question was intending to him.

"Question for Charles. You grew up here, so what would it mean to win in Monaco, both for you as a person and your title hopes this year?".

"As for the title, it's still a long way to go, so I'm not really concerned. I think finishing at least at the top three in the championship standings should be realistic, that's what we're aiming for" Charles explained. "Of course, winning in Monte Carlo in a Ferrari has been my dream since the day I started racing, so that would be great if it happened but it'll be quite difficult to achieve given the drivers there are around, but, yeah, just extremely happy to be in the position I am right now, being able to challenge for a win in my hometown".

Charles grinned softly at the reporter who had asked him the question as he finished talking, but his face dropped in a heartbeat. Eleanor wasn't even looking at him and by the way she looked, Charles wasn't sure she had heard his reply in the first place. For a moment, her tired and nervous appearance made his heart skip a beat, completely ignoring what was going on around him. Had something happened to his girl? Although he hadn't properly asked, Charles allowed himself to call her like that in his thoughts. Besides, he planned to ask. He was just waiting for the right time.

As a reporter whose name sounded like German but could also be Dutch raised his hand, posing a question for the young Ferrari driver, Charles forced himself to put his thoughts about Eleanor aside until Sunday and focus on the weekend. After all, whatever was on Eleanor's mind couldn't change what the two of them shared, could it?

* * *

Thursday|afternoon

Charles was nervously pacing around the Ferrari garage, occasionally glancing over at the pit lane, his blood red racing overalls tied around his waist. He had finished Day 1 of his home Grand Prix as fastest of all and soon he had to go to the press pen for the post-Thursday interviews but he was hoping he could meet Eleanor before that for a more private conversation. However, she was yet to be seen and Charles was getting anxious.

Sebastian, on the other hand, was sat at the back of his garage and was watching his younger teammate amused, despite the fact that he was supposed to carefully go through his data from the day to understand what he was missing compared to Charles and the Redbulls. He really had a clue why the Monegasque was behaving so strangely and being the teaser he was, he wouldn't let this opportunity go for waste.

"What are you waiting for? Or should I say _who_?" Sebastian winked at him, smiling cheekily.

Charles scoffed under his breath and let a sigh out.

"Awww, look at him!" Sebastian exclaimed, dramatically placing his hands in his chest. "His little princess broke his heart! Will he ever find peace again? You know, normally, it should be the other way around, but I guess you were never one to do things normally".

Charles glared at him but Sebastian just burst into laughter. The young Monegasque shook his head with a smile and took a seat next to his German teammate.

"You can laugh as much as you want, but I do think there's something serious troubling Eleanor" he explained and, as Sebastian looked more alerted now, he continued: "She hasn't talked to me other than yesterday's press conference and she doesn't answer my texts and calls. At first, I thought I had done something wrong but I can't recall anything inappropriate I did or said during our date in Barcelona. I just don't know what to think anymore".

"I wouldn't worry just yet if I were you" Sebastian shrugged reassuringly. "It can be normal, actually. Give her some space, maybe she's still figuring out her feelings".

"Maybe" Charles agreed sighing, something in his voice giving away he still wasn't convinced.

"Hey, shine up" Sebastian nudged him gently. "I'm sure everything will work out in the end. I'm telling you, she's crazy for you".

Charles managed a smile.

"You think so?".

"Ja" Sebastian nodded. "You even surpassed me as a charmer" he went back to teasing and Charles playfully slapped his arm before standing up to head to the press pen.

* * *

Saturday

Charles wasn't really succeeding in keeping Eleanor off his mind during the weekend but come Saturday afternoon and qualifying, he did manage to grab his first pole position of the season and his career so far. He was flying over the moon since apparently pole is 50% of the way to win in Monaco. The only thing that could measure his joy was the haunted look in Eleanor's eyes during the post-qualifying press conference. Not knowing what was bothering the young journalist was killing him and the fact that he had to hide it while coming face to face with her wasn't helping at all.

She congratulated him on his pole position and asked him if he believed his strategy of starting the race on the softest available tyre compound could work. As usual, he thanked her and replied that yes, he was confident with his strategy for race day, before proceeding explaining why, as if everything was alright between them. Eleanor responded with a small nod and an almost silent sigh, still avoiding eye contact with the Monegasque.

As a French reporter put a question ahead for third-placed Max Verstappen, Charles turned to face Sebastian in his right, rising an eyebrow, as if saying “See what I told you about?”. Sebastian shrugged and glanced over at Eleanor, more worried himself about her now that he had witnessed with his own eyes it looked like her problem was way more serious than the doubts he had speculated. Next to him, Charles let a small sigh out. When would his professional and personal life start to go towards the same direction?

* * *

Sunday

Charles thought he would burst with joy as he jumped out of his blood red Ferrari on Sunday afternoon. He had won the Monaco Grand Prix in a Ferrari! Another of his childhood dreams had come true! He couldn't be happier!

Right after the national anthems, champagne spraying and the whole podium celebration he had gotten so familiar with by now, he followed Sebastian and Max to the press pen for the post-race press conference. Knowing he would soon be met with Eleanor's gaze, he felt nervousness completely taking him over, but he let out a deep sigh of relief when he noticed Eleanor's eyes had softened and held that look of pure pride. Maybe it was a lot deeper than necessary since he received a pretty obvious nudge in the ribs by his teammate, which probably meant “Focus on the questions, lover boy. You'll have time to flirt afterwards", but Eleanor turned her attention to him anyway so it didn't really matter.

"Congratulations Charles! I know it has always been your dream to win in Monaco with Ferrari, so please give us your thoughts on that. What or who are you thinking of right now? How does it feel to finally win your home Grand Prix?".

"Well, to the first question, I think you already know the answer. I think my father and Jules would have been very proud. I wouldn't be standing here without either of them so this one's for them. Now, to the second question, I haven't quite realized what has just happened, I'll have time to fully understand it over the next few days, but, yeah, really really happy. A big thanks to everyone who has supported me so far. I'm lost for words right now. It really feels amazing".

This time Eleanor did give him a small smile, but it was still more of a “Thank you” smile more than a “I'm proud of you” one. Charles smiled back anyway, yet Eleanor instantly averted her gaze from him. He had made up his mind, there was no turning back now. He couldn't stand that silence anymore. He would talk to her as soon as he had the chance. Whatever the truth was, he deserved to know it.

 

About an hour later, Eleanor was walking through the pit lane, looking for Christian Horner whom she couldn't find in the press pen for an interview. She instinctively let a sad sigh out when she saw the Ferrari garage. She really wanted to hug Charles right now and congratulate him properly for his amazing win but after everything that had happened with Simmons, she wasn't so sure he was 100% safe with her close to him.

"Eleanor!" a familiar male voice got back reality as she walked past the red pits.

She let a grumpy snort out but turned on her heel nonetheless.

"Yes, Seb?" she faked a smile as the German ran the few meters to her.

"Do you have a couple of minutes? I need to talk to you" he pleaded with big puppy eyes she couldn't resist. Charles must had been a great teacher.

"Of course, Seb. I always have time for my favorite German" she joked and let him guide her back to Ferrari garage.

"It's a quite personal matter so... my driver's room?".

Eleanor nodded and trailed off Sebastian to the small room at the back of his garage. As he opened the door and turned the lights on, her jaw almost hit the ground.

"Hey" Charles waved at her with a slight smile.

"Hey" she responded after what felt like a century and quickly turned back to Sebastian who was still standing at the door giving Charles a mental thumbs up. "That was your personal matter?".

"Yes" Sebastian nodded. "I'll leave you two lovebirds into it".

Eleanor looked like she was about to protest but the German cut her off.

"No, Eleanor, you can't avoid it. You're not getting out of this room until you've talked your issues out".

And with that, he closed the door behind him. Eleanor groaned furious at him and tried to contemplate a good way to pay Sebastian back for doing this to her that humanity would forgive her for -although the least drastic solutions included slapping, punching and asphyxiation- when she realized she was left alone with Charles.

"So..." she started, nervously stepping on her heels "... Congrats for the win".

"Thanks" Charles replied with a modest smile. "But I've heard that already".

"Seriously, I mean it" Eleanor insisted dreading the conversation that would follow once either of them redirected. "Amazing driving. Very mature, very...".

"You honestly want to talk about my win right now?" Charles interrupted before she could continue mumbling.

It sounded way harsher than Charles had meant it to be and Eleanor instantly lowered her gaze, feeling like a toddler being told off.

"Sorry" she muttered under her breath, eyes firmly fixed on the floor.

Charles let a small sigh out since he hadn't planned this conversation to go exactly like that.

"Come here" he gently prompted, patting the space next to him.

Eleanor hesitated at first but as she was met with Charles' worried glance, she gave in, approaching the Monegasque and taking a seat next to him, although she was still avoiding to make eye contact with him.

"When I drove you to your hotel in Barcelona, everything was fine. _You_ were fine" Charles started. "But ever since you've been avoiding me like the plague and you don't respond to my calls or texts either. So what happened after we said goodbye in Spain?".

Eleanor knew she had to be honest, that's what her heart was saying but her brain wouldn't stop protesting against it.

"Nothing happened" she lied silently. "I'm fine".

Charles gently lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze and making her heart skip a beat.

"What happened in Barcelona, Eleanor?" he repeated calmly, looking at her with those mesmerizing blue eyes she couldn't resist.

"Remember the Friday press conference in Shanghai?" she asked finally. "Remember my question to Maurizio about your new sponsor?"

"Yeah?" Charles tilted his head like a confused puppy, unsure what that had to do with the two of them.

"I'm quite familiar with the guy that owns that company and, trust me, he's not nice" Eleanor continued explaining. "In Barcelona, he..." she drew in a sharp breath, as if that would help to build up the courage to tell him the truth "... It seems he decided to let me know he doesn't like me interfering in his business. I found my hotel room a complete mess and my research on him and his company were gone, both my digital archives and paper back-ups"

Charles' eyes widened as he looked at her in shock.

"My god, Eleanor, why didn't you tell me?".

"I was trying to keep you safe" she defended herself, her bottom lip trembling as she looked close to tears. "See, it's happened before, with this particular guy and this particular company, he hurt someone close to me. I don't want this to happen to you, as well".

She was properly crying now, tears running down her cheeks and into her mouth as she spoke:

"I don't care about the research, I can get it all back, but you... You are too important to me" she cupped his left cheek with her right hand. "I can't lose you".

"Eleanor..." he reassuringly whispered her name as she collapsed on his shoulder. "I'll be safe, I promise" he said, absentmindedly playing with her blond hair. "I know you'll be careful, I trust you. Eleanor, I just want to be with you, everything else is irrelevant".

Eleanor lifted her eyes to look at him.

"Really?".

"Really" Charles nodded. "Want to see proof?".

Not even waiting for an answer, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. At first, Eleanor let out a surprised squeal but as soon as she realized what was actually going on, she confidently kissed back. Her hand was soon tangled in his fluffy brown hair while Charles pulled her into his lap, quickly closing the space between them.

Before they could fully enjoy the kiss, Sebastian burged into the room, doing little party dances and screaming “Finally!” every now and then with a huge smile plastered on his face. Charles chuckled at his German teammate and Eleanor shook her head, albeit with a smile.

"Seb, you've really had it this time!" she warned, grabbing a pillow from the back of the bed and throwing it towards his direction.

"It's good enough for me that my teammate is happy again" Sebastian teased, ducking his head to avoid the pillow since Eleanor never missed a shot.

Charles snorted and threw a pillow to him as well, but this was actually a rubbish shot so Sebastian didn't have to duck for this one.

"Seriously, though, finally! You two are a couple!" he cheered excitedly.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks Seb, but maybe we were in the middle of something when you got in?" Charles asked, eyebrows raised meaningfully.

"No, don't even think about that" Sebastian refused, almost in terror. "I helped you to get her back, I'm happy for you, but you're not taking it any further in my driver's room".

Charles looked like he wanted to object, but Eleanor spoke up:

"He's right, his engineers could walk in" she agreed with the German who sent her a very thankful glance. "My hotel room?".

Charles defiantly shook his head.

"My apartment" he proposed instead.

Eleanor's eyes widened, obviously pleased at the prospect, and quickly stood up allowing Charles to follow her, as well.

"Have fun with little Charlie!" Sebastian playfully called out for her, but both of them stuck their tongues out for him, before quickly making their way out of the paddock.

 

As soon as they entered Charles' apartment, they couldn't hold themselves anymore. Eleanor felt her back pressed against the wall and Charles' hot lips on hers, tongue demanding to slip into her mouth. They both fumbled for the light switch until they reached the bedroom. Charles lied first on the bed and Eleanor quickly climbed on top of him.

"No more talking tonight, OK?" she asked between kisses.

"Agreed" Charles smiled, his eyes sparkling in the darkness. All he wanted right now was Eleanor.


	7. At Home...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some fluff stuff. And yes, PoI is finally here!  
> Thank you for the kudos and comments so far, I really appreciate it! Special thanks to Leonora_Acker for the constant support. <3  
> Btw, I just read your Maddy and Archer series and it's great, honestly! I suggest you all go and check this out.(https://archiveofourown.org/works/16926045)

The next morning, Eleanor was woken up by the sound of the coffee maker working. She couldn't help but smile. Her little Charlie was a softie at heart; he was even preparing breakfast for her.

Suppressing a soft yawn, Eleanor threw away her covers and stood up. Not even bothering to brush her hair, still in the oversized light-blue pajamas Charles had lent her the night before (and claimed to be his little brother's since she wouldn't stop teasing him about the baby-blue color) and barefoot, she crossed the corridor and entered the kitchen. Charles was standing with his back turned to her so there was no chance he could have noticed her and she could surprise him as much as she wanted to.

"Bonjour, mon cher" she hugged his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder.

Charles looked at her with a wide albeit surprised smile and Eleanor could swear she felt his heartbeat rate increasing.

"Hey, ma petite. Didn't know you speak French" he replied and she gave him such an innocent shrug he couldn't resist turning around to properly kiss her. "I was wondering when you would wake up. I was planning to bring you breakfast in bed but now you're already awake..." he shook his head blushing slightly.

Eleanor troubled her tongue between her teeth.

"Maybe we can say I'm not up yet?" she suggested finally. "And you're still making my breakfast in bed?".

Charles' eyes lit up, obviously pleased at the suggestion and nodded at her, the soft dimples Eleanor was already in love with instantly forming in his cheeks.

"Come on then, take a seat" he prompted, gently patting her back for encouragement.

"Yes, colonel sir!" Eleanor chuckled kissing his cheek.

She made herself comfortable on one of the kitchen counter and closely observed each and every movement Charles was making. She couldn't help but smile at how he knitted his eyebrows to concentrate on the eggs he was scrambling for an omelet, then carefully poured the mix into a pan.

"OK, that should be ready in 5" he mumbled mostly to himself, grabbing a clean towel to dry his hands and lifting his eyes to check on the time, when he realized Eleanor was sweetly staring at him. "What?" he grinned.

"Nothing" she shrugged with a soft smile. "Come here".

"Why do I have to come there?" Charles chuckled but approached the blonde journalist anyway.

Instinctively, Eleanor wrapped her arms around his neck while Charles rested his hands on her hips.

"Thanks, Charles" she leaned in to place a soft kiss on his lips. "You're perfect".

She let him deepen the kiss, pulling him closer to herself as he tightened his hold around her. Charles was pouring all his love to the gentle kisses he was giving her, so he was slightly surprised when she suddenly pulled apart.

"Charles?" she whispered against his lips, a tone of amusement in her voice.

"What is it?" he asked, opening his eyes, which he didn't know he had closed.

"The omelet" Eleanor smiled playfully as he quickly untangled himself from her to take the omelet down from the stove, cursing in French under his breath. "I speak French, Charlie" Eleanor reminded him in a sing-song voice.

Charles gave her a sheepish look as he placed the slightly burnt omelet in a plate.

"Ooops".

* * *

New York

"So, from what I've understood, the two jerks also share a job except for a bed. They built together the antivirus software, but Jenny stole it and tried to sell it to some nuts company by herself, Rob realized it and paid a hitman to get his greedy girlfriend out of the way." Archer synopsized the couple's story while watching them arguing in the park. "That's why your coconuts machine picked them."

"The Machine is not coconuts, Mr. Archer." Harold objected from the subway. "It has saved hundreds of lives and will continue like that if you properly do your job."

"You gotta be kidding me, bru." Danny scoffed. "I shouldn't be here, protecting idiots like these two. I should be in Monaco with Eleanor, having some fun with a Ferrari."

"What?" Harold questioned, frowning confused. "Who's Eleanor?"

"A friend of Maddy's." Danny explained. "Her mother was Maddy's best friend, they were both war correspondents in Sierra Leone, but now she's dead. Maddy has somehow adopted Eleanor."

"That's very sweet." Harold noticed. "You seem very fond of her, as well."

"Me? No. No, bru. Never liked her, never will." Archer denied. "She's a reporter herself, ya know. She currently works in Formula One and, between you and me, she really fancies Leclerc. She usually gets what she wants, so I'd bet she's naked in his bed already. They had a date...".

"Mr. Archer, the hitman is coming towards you!" Harold cuts him off in an alerted tone of voice. "I suggest you get ready for some fireworks."

"Time to have fun, huh?" Danny fired his gun, focusing on his target.

* * *

Monaco

"That looks good on you" Charles remarked from where he was sitting on the couch as Eleanor walked in the living room wearing a pair of grey jeans she had on the day before and a Ferrari red t-shirt with the number 16 on it.

"You like it?" she smiled, glancing down at her outfit, as she lied on his lap.

"I love it" he assured. "Almost as much as I love you".

Eleanor smiled tenderly at him and let out a content hum when he leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"I have to go back to my hotel to pack my things" she reminded him, before he could kiss her again and get them distracted.

"Later on, please?" he looked at her with big puppy eyes she couldn't resist.

"Fine, later on" she chuckled as he did give her a second kiss. "Are to sure me being here is OK?" she asked then, her blue eyes turning worried in a heartbeat. "I could still go back to the hotel...".

"Eleanor, I love having you around. I'm perfectly fine with you staying here as long as you want to".

"But are you safe?".

Her voice was barely above a whisper and Charles couldn't bear the scared look on her face.

"I am" he assured with a tiny smile, but then hesitated: "Eleanor, when you said that SN guy hurt someone close to you, what exactly did you mean?".

Eleanor drew in a sharp breath. She really wished she didn't have to talk about that.

"Almost a year ago, I was in a relationship with a guy, Peter O'Donnell" she started explaining. "He was a great guy and he was there for me when my father cheated on my mother and then abandoned us. Anyway, the thing is he worked for Safety Net as a computer technician. One day he told me his company designed an anti-virus program that actually accesses the user's files in search of any potential threats to the US Government and if that's the case, the threat is immediately eliminated. Two days later, he was dead".

There were tears running down her cheeks now and the shocked expression on Charles' face wasn't really helping in terms of reassuring her.

"After his death, I got to see his work in the company and..." she suppressed a sniffle "...he wasn't the first one they'd come after. I've been trying to figure out what's really going on ever since but I can't. I can't".

"Eleanor..." Charles managed to utter, still in shock.

Eleanor built up the courage to finally look at him and wasn't surprised to see the terrified look in his eyes.

"Promise me it won't change anything between us" she pleaded, cupping his face with both hands.

"Of course not" Charles assured, without hesitating for a bit, gently wiping away her tears. "I want to be with you, and if that comes together with a certain amount of risk, I'm willing to accept it. I love you, Eleanor".

"I love you, too, Charlie" she smiled softly and gladly accepted his kiss. "By the way, I didn't have the chance to properly congratulate you for your win" she reminded him playfully. "I'm so proud of you".

"Thanks, sugar. Does that mean I get a reward?" Charles smirked.

"Yeah, it would be unfair not to give you one" Eleanor chuckled, straightening up to settle between his legs and place a passionate kiss on his mouth. "That's for winning in Monaco, champ".

* * *

New York

Archer finished with the hitman Rob had hired to get rid of the thief that was his girlfriend and turned to Jenny who was crying because of the terror as well as the fact that her boyfriend had turned out to be nothing more or less than a killer.

"It's OK, huh. They're gone" he assured holding his hand out for her to take.

"How do you know that?" Jenny sobbed, curled up around herself as she sat on the ground. "My boyfriend just tried to kill me".

"You stole him his project" Danny remarked, only to cause her sobs to increase.

"Mr Archer, you should be helping Ms Green" Harold chimed in, sounding annoyed.

"Ja, ja, working on it, bru" Archer retorted before going back to Jenny: "Look, you'll be fine. I sent the hitman to meet Cordell".

"Who's that?" Jenny questioned, quite desperate to care about his social contacts right now.

"An old pal from Rhodesia, mostly a good guy, but he did get to your nerves sometimes" Danny explained. "Anyway, the point is both he and your cheeky boyfriend belong to the past now and what matters is your future. Leave this story behind everything will be OK, I promise".

Jenny seemed to think about it for a moment but then nodded.

"You're right" she wiped her eyes and accepted his hand to stand up. "Thank you for that. I really don't know how I'll pay you back for it".

"Keep guys like Rob out of your bed and we're all good, huh" Archer joked.

"I will" Jenny managed to smile and Danny finally turned around and started walking back to his place.

"That was very kind of you there" Harold noted.

"Shut up, bru" Archer went back to his good old self, as he walked away from the park.

Behind him, however, Jenny was watching him and waited till he had gotten to a safe distance from her before she dug in her jacket's pocket for her phone. She quickly dialed the number and checking for any unwanted witnesses, she pressed the device to her ear.

"Hello?" came the hoarse male voice from the the other end of the line.

"Mr Simmons, the beta test has been successful. The Machine is still active".


	8. For A While Now

New York|Wednesday, two weeks later

"Where is this weekend's race again?" Maddy asked her younger friend settling on the couch.

"In Montreal" Eleanor replied, taking a sip from her cup of coffee. "At the circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. I love this place".

"And are you sharing a hotel room with Charles?".

Maddy's question threw Eleanor off balance, so much so she almost choked on her own saliva.

"Maddy, what are you talking about?" she scolded, feeling blood rush to her face.

"Come on, Eleanor. It's no secret you and Charlie Leclerc are a thing. You haven't stopped babbling about him ever since you've returned from Monaco. Just admit it, you two had your moment".

Eleanor let a frustrated sigh out. As much as she appreciated Maddy's friendship and nearly mother figure, she despised the older journalist's ability to read people like an open book.

"Fine" she huffed, accepting defeat. "Charles and I talked and we agreed to try a relationship, see if it's going to work".

Maddy burst into a gigantic smile and rushed forwards to hug her young friend.

"I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed excitedly. "You two just suit each other perfectly!".

Eleanor grinned wide at that, not with the slightest intention of pretending she didn't welcome the compliment.

"You think so?".

"I'm sure about it" Maddy nodded. "I already see you as Mrs Leclerc. Yeah, Mrs Eleanor Leclerc" she repeated, as if mentally testing the name.

"OK, cut it out" Eleanor protested, feeling quite uncomfortable with what her friend was implying about the future of her relationship with Charles.

"Whatever you say, Mrs Leclerc" Maddy chuckled, causing the younger journalist to snort out and try to glare her to death.

* * *

Le Castellet, France|Saturday, two weeks after Canada

"So, how are things with Charlie?" Sebastian asked Eleanor innocently, hugging her waist as they walked together out of the press pen, right after he had secured his fourth pole position of the season.

"Great" she smiled. "I'm staying at his apartment in Monaco for the weekend. We're good".

"I'm happy for you" Sebastian grinned but then decided some teasing was a good idea: "But aren't you distracting him? He hasn't won since Monaco, when you two got together".

"Come on, you're being mean there" Eleanor snorted. "He let you win the last time out in Canada and you'd better watch out for him in your mirrors tomorrow afternoon".

"Ah, I see how little Charlie picked up that bad habit of talking back" Sebastian laughed and Eleanor just glared at him. "Isn't he waiting for you, by the way?".

"Actually, he is" Eleanor nodded. "We agreed to meet in his motorhome after qualifying, spend some time together because the last couple of weeks we've both been busy. And I'd better go find him, now that you mentioned it. Don't want to make little Charlie angry, he can turn quite nasty".

"Yeah, tell me about it!" Sebastian exclaimed, his blue eyes blown wide. "It still hurts to remember the last lap overtake he did to me in Baku!".

Sebastian gasped dramatically and touched his chest as if being in pain, only to cause Eleanor to burst out in laughter before she finally let go of his hand to head towards the Ferrari hospitality.

 

Pierre lifted his eyes from his mobile phone and the game he was playing frowning heavily at the loud voices coming out of Charles' motorhome. He was planning to invite his friend over for a drink to celebrate the wonderful qualifying session they both had had but apparently the Monegasque was busy. He quickly approached the facility and politely knocked on the door but when he received no response he just took the initiative and opened by himself. What he was met with, was not in the least what he was expecting to see, hence his jaw almost hitting the ground.

"Come on, that was my line!" Eleanor, sat on Charles' lap, protested as they played each other out at the Formula One videogame. "I had that corner!".

"You just missed the chicane, so it's my corner now" Charles, whose hands were resting on the journalist's thighs, grinned innocently, slamming the brakes hard on his virtual Ferrari, which just gave Eleanor the chance to pass him back.

"I'm smashing you" she laughed before Charles purposely touched her rear-left wheel causing her to spin around. "You're such a cheater!".

"What the heck?" Pierre muttered to himself, chuckling amused. "Charles!" he called his friend, who was concentrating on some low-speed corners -and failing as he locked a wheel earning Eleanor a couple of tenths. "Leclerc!" he tried a little louder but again there was no answer. "Love struck teenager!".

At this, Charles finally looked at him and stood up quickly.

"Pierre. How long have you been standing there for?".

"Long enough for you to notice but you were flirting" Pierre teased, causing Charles to blush a little. "Anyway, I was thinking we could probably go have something to drink to celebrate your P2 and my P3 but I see you're busy".

Charles nodded, really wanting Pierre to leave so he could go back to outplaying Eleanor on the PlayStation.

"Seriously, though..." Pierre lowered his tone of voice, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "Sleeping with the devil? I thought Eleanor Woods was our enemy".

He really looked annoyed and wasn't going to deny it. It was true Charles had mentioned he was seeing someone but he wasn't expecting her to be Eleanor Woods, the reporter that made him look ridiculous and had caused him to almost hate the press.

"Pear..." Charles let his gaze soften and reached for the Frenchman's shoulder. "She's not that bad" he assured and turned to Eleanor: "Eleanor, you remember Pierre, right?".

The journalist in question lifted her eyes from the remote controller in her hands and looked towards Charles' direction, slightly confused at first but then burst into a big smile.

"Of course, the Honda wingman!" she exclaimed.

Pierre snorted and looked sharply at Charles on his left.

"Not that bad, huh?" he scoffed. "That was meant as a compliment, then?".

"I promise, she's great once you get to know her" Charles insisted with a smile. "Give her a chance, please".

Pierre let a sigh out and seemed to give it a thought, torn between his friendship for Charles and his personal feelings.

"Fine" he said finally, causing a smile to light Charles' face up. "If she makes you happy, I like her, too".

"Thanks, Pear!" Charles hugged him. "I knew you would understand".

"Relax, mon petit" Pierre chuckled ruffling through the younger one's hair. "I didn't say we're going to be best mates. I still think she's going to cause a disaster one day".

"I can live with that" Charles sighed.

It was something he had been worrying about, knowing how Pierre felt about the girl he was in a relationship with. Pierre's friendship was important but he desired Eleanor's love as well and constant arguments between his girlfriend and his best friend was the last thing he needed.

"We can go for a drink another time perhaps?" he suggested and as Pierre nodded in agreement, he smiled and turned back to Eleanor only to realize the remote controller she had in her hands was his one actually. "Hey, that is mine!" he protested rushing towards her and grabbing it from her, but not before she crashed his Ferrari in the wall. "Come on, you just destroyed my race!".

Her red-and-silver Sauber crossed the line and the checkered flag was waved in the air. 

"There you go. Beaten by a Sauber, thank you very much" Eleanor grinned sweetly at the Monegasque.

"Love struck idiots" Pierre chuckled under his breath and left the pair alone.

* * *

Silverstone, Great Britain|Thursday, three weeks after France

"You know I have the track walk in 20 minutes, right?" Charles asked while kissing Eleanor's jawline.

"I should leave then" she untangled herself from his arms, at which he replied with a pout but she wisely chose to ignore that. "I'll see you later, OK?" she kissed him goodbye and he finally let go of her.

The moment Eleanor stepped out of the Monegasque's driver's room, she regretted it. In front of her, was standing Maurizio Arrivabene talking to Rupert freaking Simmons. At the sight of her biggest enemy on earth, Eleanor's heart almost stopped beating and she immediately froze on her spot, unable to move or talk.

"Can I help you, Ms Woods?" Maurizio's voice made her realize she was actually staring at them.

Simmons, who had his back to her, turned around wondering what had caught the Italian's attention and smiled bitterly when he saw Eleanor standing speechless behind them.

"Well, lovely Ms Eleanor Woods who insists on accusing me of spying on US citizens in her articles, despite her having no exact proof against me" he greeted her. "What a funny small world!".

"That's why you can't keep hiding your dirty business forever, Simmons" Eleanor remembered how to speak again. "And anyway, it's only a matter of time before I can prove it officially".

"Really?" Simmons pretended to get surprised. "I can't wait for this to happen".

"What are you doing in our garage, Ms Woods?" Maurizio interfered before this could escalate into an argument between his main sponsor and the reporter who seemed to be obsessed with the man in question.

Eleanor didn't reply right away. What was she doing in Ferrari's garage? For pretty obvious reasons, she couldn't tell him she was making out with Charles in his driver's room, so she had to come up with something quickly.

"I was looking for Seb for an interview" she lied. "Tell him to call me when he can".

Fortunately, Maurizio just nodded, without asking any further questions, and Eleanor shot a last sharp glance at Simmons before walking away.

Not long after she had left, Charles got out of the room, almost bumping into his team principle.

"Charles, just in time!" Maurizio exclaimed, bursting into a big smile at the sight of his driver. "Let me introduce you to our main sponsor, Mr Rupert Simmons, owner of Safety Net".

"Oh..." Charles muttered, slightly embarrassed, trying to smooth his hair which was still messy from his previous intimate moments with Eleanor. "Nice to meet you".

"The pleasure is mine, Charles" Simmons shook hands with him, with a tiny smile. "I have to admit, I'm impressed by your performance so far. Three wins in nine races and second place in the championship, quite stunning".

Charles smiled modest at the compliment.

"It's still a very long way to go".

"Of course" Simmons agreed and then turned to Maurizio: "What I like in people is appreciation, not taking for granted what they have. I remember an old friend of mine from South Africa. His name was Van de Kaap and he...".

While Simmons continued to complain about his former boss' ingratitude, Charles found the perfect chance to observe him more closely. The slim, tall, middle-aged man hardly gave off the impression of the malicious businessman Eleanor described but if his short experience working with all kinds of people had taught him anything, it was never to judge to judge a book by its cover.

"Your company specializes in security systems, right?" he asked out of the blue.

"Yes, that's correct" Simmons confirmed, slightly taken aback.

"Is it also correct that you are part of a massive citizen surveillance operation on the account of the US Government?".

The question was a thunderbolt both for Maurizio and Simmons. The Italian almost choked on his own saliva, his eyes opening wide, while the Briton just glared silent at the young driver.

"Well, I see Ms Woods already has some fans" Simmons finally managed to utter. "Let me give you a friendly piece of advice: Don't believe everything that's on the Internet. Otherwise, you may find yourself caught up in something you wouldn't want to".

He shot a meaningful look at the Monegasque as if asking whether he had made his point clear and Charles nodded.

"I'll see you later, Maurizio" Simmons waved at the Italian and walked away from the Ferrari garage.

"That wasn't necessary" Maurizio scolded. "His company is none of our business. To us, he's only our sponsor".

"What if it's true?" Charles objected. "You want me to close my eyes and pretend I never heard a word?".

"You shouldn't care in the first place!" Maurizio raised his tone of voice. "All that matters to you is that he pays for your car, everything else is irrelevant!".

"People are not irrelevant" Charles mumbled and averted his gaze, causing Maurizio to let a heavy sigh out.

"Look, Charles, I like you and you're an exceptional driver" he started in a calmer tone of voice. "I myself trusted you to come to Ferrari, but if that's your attitude inside the team, then, I'm sorry, but maybe you don't belong here yet. Don't make me do anything I'm going to regret" he warned and stepped inside the garage, leaving Charles behind desperately snorting out.

 

At the other end of the paddock, Rupert Simmons was quick-dialing a number to his mobile phone, his previous encounter at the Ferrari facility having affected him more than he expected it to.

"Craig, Simmons here" he said as soon as his assistant picked it up. "You may want to keep an eye on Woods and Leclerc. I have a feeling they may not be so willing to cooperate".

* * *

Later that night, in the hotel room they were sharing, while wiping the makeup off of her face, Eleanor was carefully glancing at Charles, who was sat at the edge of the bed going through his data from the day, occasionally letting small sighs out. She was quite confident something was wrong with him but he just wouldn't let her put her finger in it.

"Bad day at work, babe?" she innocently asked.

Charles sighed heavier at that and placed his data on the bedside table next to him. He quickly approached her side and gave her bare shoulder a gentle kiss.

"I hate this job" he protested, moving on to properly lie on the bed, curling up under the bed sheets.

Eleanor turned to look at him, a heavy frown at her brow.

"That's not my usual Charlie" she remarked confused. "Normally, you love driving".

"I didn't mean driving" he clarified. "I was talking about the team and all the pressure from the inside and the media and the sponsors... I don't know how longer I can stand it all".

Eleanor had a feeling this sudden outburst was not in the least random. It was little surprise to her, too, that it had happened the day Simmons had turned up at the Ferrari garage. She was quick to stand up and lie next to him in bed, instantly snuggling close to him.

"What happened today at the track after I left your garage?" she asked softly looking straight into those fascinating blue eyes.

She noticed Charles stiffened at the question and wrapped an arm around her, instinctively pulling her closer to himself.

"Simmons was there" he finally revealed and Eleanor let a knowing snort out. "Maurizio introduced me to him and I asked him if it's true, that his company spies on people. Of course, Maurizio didn't like it and he... well, he threatened me he'll fire me if it happens again".

Eleanor looked at him with big shocked eyes. Much as she was expecting his melancholy having something to do with his sponsor, she hadn't seen that coming. Certainly, it convinced her even more that Simmons was guilty and confirmed her suspicion that Maurizio was helping him -without realizing so but still- but her mind would throw her back to the same point.

"It's my fault, isn't it?" she mumbled against his shirt.

Charles looked down at her, a flicker of surprise and shock at the same time playing in his eyes.

"Don't" her cut her in before she could continue blaming herself. "We've had this talk before. I'm grateful to have you in my life and I've never considered you responsible, don't do that to yourself, OK?".

Eleanor just looked at him for a second and then nodded, as he leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"Let's forget about it then, shall we?" she proposed. "Let's think of only us and forget about the rest of the world".

Charles finally managed a wide smile.

"OK, then, forget about it" he agreed. "It's just me, the girl I'm crazy in love with and my red car. Nothing else matters right now".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never played the F1 videogame so forgive me if that's not what happens exactly!


	9. Scars Of The Past

Hockenheim, Germany|Thursday

On Thursday night, at Hockenheim, the flashbacks were back.

 

_"Peter O'Donnell is dead. He committed suicide"._

_The words keep buzzing in her head till she loses her consciousness. She wakes up at the hospital two blocks away from her flat and a doctor is giving her the normal post-fainting advice but she's not listening to him. Her mind is trying to process what has just happened. She can't accept Peter killed himself, that's not how she knows Peter. It must be them -his company or whoever he used to work for. The question is why._

_Of course, he had kept her phone so they traced it at his apartment when they tried to. But it doesn't make sense. It wasn't his and they knew it. So why on earth did they kill him? Why didn't they come after **her**?_

_The same night she's walking in the street she knows only too well, just like she did every Wednesday. Only that now she's not visiting Peter, she's seeking for answers._

_Dressed in black head to toe, hood pulled down her face and trying to be as invisible as possible, she climbs the stairs and reaches door number 56. There's police tape around the frame but she doesn't give a damn as she carefully bypasses it and enters the flat._

_Putting off her hood, she looks around, fumbling in the dark, and furiously searches for anything that proves her claim that Peter was murdered. Behind the couch, in the space between it and the wall, there's an envelope that seems rather old. She grabs it and tears it open scattering everything that's inside on the floor._

_It's Peter's work documents, she comes to realize. She only skims through the papers but what she sees is more than enough: “Funding of the reactivation of the program Northern Lights approved by the United States Government...”, “...the Safety Net company is granted access to all data concerning any citizen of the United States...”, “...also permission to eliminate anything or anyone who might be deemed as a threat to the nation of the United States of America...”._

_So it's true. Peter was right. Eleanor quickly shuffles the papers in her pocket so that she could go through them in detail later and turns to his laptop on the small table in the middle of the room. It's open to a private chat room and it's obvious he was having a fight with someone right before his death. Whoever that someone is, she is certain they are involved in Peter's assassination._

_"Let's negotiate it, Peter. I know you're a good guy. You would never do that"._

_"Try me. By tomorrow afternoon, everyone will know about your business and you can't stop it"._

_"You're underestimating me, Peter. I'm curious, though. What would you say against me?"._

_"You've killed people"._

_"You knew that a long time ago and it didn't bother you. What changed?"._

_"You'll probably hurt a friend of mine. I can't let you do that to her"._

_"Was she the one that broke into my office and stole classified documents?"._

_"That was me, actually. I'll prove you are a killer"._

_"Careful what you wish for, Peter. Otherwise, I can't promise your friend will be safe"._

_"Don't even think to touch her. She doesn't know anything about this. If someone has to pay for it, it should be me"._

* * *

Eleanor's eyes blew open and she sat up straight on the bed, breathing heavily and heart beating out of her chest as she tried to compose herself. Next to her, Charles was sleeping peacefully but there was no way she could go back to sleep after such a nightmare. Sighing softly, she untangled herself from the bed sheets and picked her laptop from the bedside table. If she couldn't hurt Simmons the same way he had hurt her, she could at least make sure he would pay for it.

 

Not an hour later, Charles was woken up by an intense light burning his eyes. Rubbing his face with his palms, he pushed himself up only to see Eleanor sitting next to him on the bed with her laptop in her hands.

"Eleanor?" he questioned surprised and confused at the same time, frowning tiredly. "What are you doing?".

Despite his tone, she barely looked at him.

"Working on something" she staunchly replied. "Go back to sleep".

"I can't if you're like this. What was so urgent?".

"Simmons".

The reply almost threw Charles off balance. He had to blink twice before being able to speak again.

"Simmons?" he reiterated, his tone of voice unconsciously rising. "Simmons couldn't wait until the morning? Eleanor, what is going on?".

She angrily closed the screen of her laptop and shot him a stern glance.

"I said it's nothing, now go back to sleep!".

Charles wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. Besides, it was only logical to ask her what she was doing awake at what felt like the crack of dawn.

"Eleanor..." he said gently, reaching for her shoulder. "What's the matter?".

"Don't touch me" she snapped, furiously standing up. "Why can't you just let it go?".

"I'm worried about you" he explained. "And, I'm sorry, but I don't believe Simmons is why you're up at 4 a.m.".

He was trying to reason with her but the only thing he managed was to infuriate her even more.

"You want to know what's the matter, Charlie? Fine. Simmons killed my boyfriend and it was my fault because he died protecting me...".

"Eleanor...".

"...and the only way I have to pay Simmons back is to expose his whole business and nothing or no one will stop me from that. Now, if you have anything against that, then I'm sorry, but we really are over!".

"I never said that!" Charles defended himself but all he was faced with was the bed room's door Eleanor slammed behind her.

She knew he was right but at the moment she simply didn't care. Her tears were splashing down her cheeks and she wasn't going to try to stop them. She had lost Peter not that long ago and she had now probably lost Charles, as well. She hated Simmons for doing this to her, she always would.

* * *

Friday

Sebastian was nervously pacing along the pit lane in front of the Ferrari garage. It was supposed to be a happy day with all his family there to watch the weekend and cheer for him but when Charles appeared on the track mumbling how he had fallen apart with Eleanor during the night, the warm atmosphere had turned anxious in an instant. Sebastian just wouldn't get it. She looked fine the day before, joking with him in the pre-race press conference. What could have happened between that and the next morning that caused her to run away from her hotel room at 4 a.m.?

"Eleanor!".

A happy childish voice had him suddenly turning around to see his 5-year-old daughter Emilie running towards the blonde journalist and Eleanor kneeling down to take the toddler in her arms. He instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Physically, at least, she was OK.

"Missed you" Emilie whispered to Eleanor, cuddling close to her chest.

"I know, princess. I missed you, too" she replied smiling softly before straightening up only to notice Sebastian standing next to her. "Not now, Seb, please" she begged, the smile gone off her lips.

But he was already removing the little girl from her arms, instructing her to go find her mum, before going back to Eleanor.

"Charles turned up on the verge of a panic attack, mumbling something about you storming out of your room in the middle of the night, so you'll forgive me if I want to know what happened to you".

Eleanor sighed heavily. Of course Charles would tell Sebastian, he was like his big brother whenever Lorenzo wasn't around. Which meant most of the time.

"Tell me he didn't tell the whole paddock" she pleaded.

"Just me, I promise" Sebastian grinned -that was the Eleanor Woods he knew. "Seriously, though, what happened?".

Eleanor snorted. Much as she wanted to, she couldn't avoid telling him.

"Well, we... I..." she stammered, nervously playing with her jacket's sleeve. "I had a nightmare last night about my former boyfriend and I kind of let my emotions impair my judgment. I'm sorry".

Sebastian raised his hands in defense.

"Don't apologize to me. He's in his driver's room and dying of his worry" he pointed towards Charles' side of the garage. "Please, talk to him before FP1, I'm afraid he'll crash at a wall or something".

Eleanor chuckled slightly and kissed his cheek, mouthing a quick “Thank you” before heading towards Charles' driver's room. Ignoring the weird glances she received from his engineers, she stood outside the door and pulling a deep breath clear of her emotions, she finally turned the doorknob.

Inside, it was dark. Apparently, Charles was trying -and failing- to lose himself in his own thoughts as he sat at the edge of the bed, his head resting between his palms and his ankles shaking.

"Can I come in, Charlie?" she asked in her sweetest tone of voice.

In a heartbeat, Charles stood up and gave her a bone-crushing hug.

"You're OK? I was worried about you" he tightened his hold around her once the door was closed behind her.

"I'm sorry I scared you" she whispered against his chest, enjoying the warmth in his arms.

"I'll be fine" he assured with a smile, tucking a tuft of her blond hair behind her ear. "Where did you spend the night?".

"At Britta's room".

"Seb's press agent?" Charles frowned surprised. "Since when you two are friends?".

"We're not" Eleanor clarified. "But I've known her for a while now and luckily, she's not the type to ask too many questions".

Charles let a small chuckle out. It was good to have his girl back.

"It's been what, six hours? I already missed you".

Eleanor smiled softly and then stood on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on his lips, which he gladly accepted.

"I'm so sorry, babe" she repeated. "I should've never taken my anger out on you".

"Don't worry about it, I know you didn't mean it" Charles reassured her. "Was it something I said, though, or...?".

Eleanor took a deep breath, trying to build up the courage to explain. She hadn't done that not once before because even Sebastian knew Peter and was well aware of his death's consequences on her.

"Ever since my boyfriend was murdered, I often have nightmares or flashbacks about him" she started. "They come with no warning and never leave easily. Last night, I had one again. I couldn't go back to sleep, that's why you found me working on my research about Simmons. Then... Well, you know what happened then".

She lifted her eyes to look at him but Charles was dead-silent.

"Please, Charles, forgive me" she collapsed in his arms again.

"Why wouldn't I?" Charles wondered. "Why didn't you tell me in the first place?".

Eleanor didn't answer, feeling tears blurring her vision, and instead just shrugged, causing Charles to hug her even tighter.

"Eleanor?" he asked once she had calmed down a little. "About that research you mentioned, what do you plan to do with it?".

"Use it against Simmons" she immediately replied, with no hesitation at all. "Expose his true business".

"But, Eleanor, if Simmons is as mean as you say, how do you know he won't come after you as well?" Charles tried to reason with her. "What if the right thing for you to do is to stop and leave the situation as it is?".

Eleanor looked at him with wide eyes, trying to distinguish whether he was serious or not. Clearly, he was.

"Don't ask me that" she pleaded, her voice barely audible.

"Honey, I just want you to be safe" Charles assured, cupping her face.

"Right now, my revenge on Simmons comes before my safety" Eleanor said decisively. "He killed Peter because of me and the least I can do to honor him the way he deserves to is make sure that Simmons pays for it. I'll do that and I completely don't care what happens to me. I could give up, yes, but then it would be as if Simmons killed us both and I can't bare that. So, please, don't ask me to stop".

Charles looked at her head to toe. She seemed pretty determined about that and he knew he couldn't prevent her from digging deeper.

"OK" he agreed, locking her in his embrace once more. "But please, stay safe".

"I will" she promised.

Charles only wished he didn't regret that.


	10. Together In New York

Budapest, Hungary|Sunday

Charles had had a smooth race. Starting third, he had overtaken the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton in the start and then drove his own race to deliver a 1-2 finish for Ferrari. A 6th podium and third place in the Championship sounded like a great way to go into summer break. And, to be honest, much as he loved driving the red car, he was happy the first half of the season was over and done with.

As he stood at the entrance of his garage, his gaze fell on Eleanor, who was walking up and down the paddock performing the usual post-race interviews. Charles was trying to take in every little detail of hers: her blond hair tucked behind her ears causing her pearl earrings to sparkle in the sunshine, the genuine smile she burst into after one of Daniel's foolish jokes, the gentle wrinkles that formed in the corners of her eyes as she laughed... Charles was by now madly and utterly in love with her. And it was obvious she felt the same. She had progressively started to trust him all the more and Charles liked to think her flashback experience in Hockenheim had strengthen their relationship even more, although there had barely been a week since that.

"There you are!".

The hoarse, male voice distracted his hallucination and Charles turned around only to see Rupert Simmons walking towards his direction.

"What can I do for you, Mr Simmons?" he asked politely, although he felt his blood boiling with anger.

"You've done enough for me today, you and your team. As a sponsor, I consider myself lucky that I could witness such a dominant performance from my drivers".

Charles snorted, clenching his fists on either side of him.

"I'm not your driver" he clarified staunchly.

"Of course not, Charles" Simmons scoffed. "So, how does this championship look so far?".

"Fine" Charles retorted. "How's your “Northern Lights” project going?".

Simmons shot him a stern glance, slightly taken aback.

"How do you know about “Northern Lights”?" he demanded. "That's classified".

Charles shrugged indifferently in mock innocence.

"I have my sources" he replied simply.

Before Simmons could question who that source would be, Maurizio stood up from his place in the pit wall and darted across the hospitality where the pair was discussing.

"Rupert, always a pleasure to have you with us!" he greeted the Briton, glancing strictly at Charles. "If you have a minute, I'd like to introduce you to some of our engineers.

"Sure, I'll be there in a moment" he agreed with that fake smile of his Charles would give anything to wipe off his face, before leaning in the Monegasque's side. "Don't push me that far, kid" he warningly whispered in his ear. "Tell Woods I know about you two, and if she or you ever speak a word about me again, I'll burn both of you alive, is that clear?".

Charles didn't reply, averting his gaze instead to make apparent his discontent with that, although in his chest his heart was beating so loud he thought it would explode. The next time he dared to look back up, Simmons was shaking hands and joking with his engineers, as if everything was completely normal. A stressed sigh escaped his lips. Nothing would ever be perfect, he thought to himself as he walked towards his driver's room to get changed and head back to his hotel.

* * *

"Well done, babe! I'm so proud of you!" Eleanor burged into their hotel room, rushing towards the bed where Charles was seated to capture his lips in a heated kiss.

"Thanks, ma petite. At least, the podium is something" Charles sighed taking her hands in his.

Eleanor sat opposite to him and took in his features.

"What's the matter?" she worriedly furrowed her eyebrows noticing his melancholic mood. "You're not happy with your race?".

"Of course I am. It's just that...".

Charles suddenly stopped himself, as if regretting showing his emotions in the first place. He couldn't tell her Simmons had threatened to hurt them both. His name in a death threat... Eleanor couldn't bear that after everything she had gone through.

"It's just what?" she pressed softly since Charles was silent for a while.

He looked at her. That concern clouding her beautiful eyes, he had to remove that. Leaning forwards, he pulled her gently towards him so that her head was resting on his chest.

"Nothing, forget about it, OK?" he whispered nuzzling in her hair. "Two more days left and then it's holiday time" he redirected, a genuine smile plastered on his face. "What do you want to do during the summer break?".

Eleanor seemed to think about it at first.

"To be honest, I just want to spend some time with you" she answered finally, a small smile playing in her lips. "But to get off the radar for a couple of days would be nice. Fly somewhere exotic for holidays. Hawaii maybe".

"Fine, but I'm not wearing flowers around my neck" Charles clarified.

"What's the fun if you don't?" Eleanor pouted before coming up with a new idea: "India, then? Used to host a Grand Prix some six years ago. And I've heard the food's nice".

"Nah, too spicy for my liking" Charles shook his head.

"The Amazon!" Eleanor exclaimed happily, something mischievous in her voice.

"I. Hate. Snakes!" Charles made a face close to disgust. "If that's all my options, I'd better go with Hawaii, go with the flowers".

"Sure thing, but before that, would you fly to New York with me?".

Charles pushed himself up on his elbows and looked at her, at first thinking she was joking.

"You're serious?" he realized. "You want me over to your place?".

Eleanor's fingers brushed his cheek.

"Of course I do. I want you to be part of my life" she replied. "I want you close to me as much as possible".

Charles' lips formed a soft smile as he leaned in to kiss her.

"If that's what you want, who am I to say otherwise?".

* * *

New York|the next Saturday

"Do I look OK?" a very nervous Charles asked for what felt like the millionth time as they stood outside the Archers' door.

"You're fine, relax" Eleanor snorted pressing the doorbell. "It's not like you're meeting my parents. They're just some good friends of mine".

Before Charles could further question his looks, the door opened wide and Maddy appeared on the doorstep.

"Hi there!" she instantly locked Eleanor in an embrace and Charles couldn't help but smile tenderly at the motherly figure Maddy seemed to be for his girlfriend.

"It's good to see you" Eleanor smiled before pulling away again. "Maddy, you remember Charles, right?".

The Monegasque approached the older journalist with a hesitant smile and shook hands with her.

"Of course" Maddy grinned warmly. "Nice to meet you, Charles. I've heard a lot about you".

"Thank you" he replied and sent his girlfriend a gentle look, feeling more at home.

A small figure appeared from behind Maddy's legs.

"Are you Charles Leclerc?" Rudo asked, eyes wide open in pure fascination. " _The_ Charles Leclerc of Ferrari?".

"Yes, that would be me" Charles smiled.

"Rudo, what do we say, sweetheart?" Maddy prompted ruffling through her son's dirty blond hair.

The boy continued to stare at the Monegasque driver speechless for a couple of seconds.

"Will you sign my cap?" he finally managed out.

 

Charles liked the Archers straight away and enjoyed the dinner with them. Maddy reminded him of his loving mother and Rudo was just a sweetheart. His only worry was Danny, the South African's presence causing the younger man to be slightly hesitant around him. So, when Maddy put Rudo to bed once they all finished dinner and asked Eleanor to help her in the kitchen, meaning he had to stay alone with Danny in the dinning room, Charles couldn't help but dread the conversation that would follow.

"So..." Danny started leaning backwards in his chair as if to observe the Monegasque "...do you love her?".

The question threw Charles off balance.

"I beg your pardon?".

"Eleanor" Danny explained. "Do you love her?".

Charles didn't think Archer was the type to ask such questions but knew better than to object.

"I do, sir" he replied honestly, not hesitating for a bit. "With all my heart".

Danny flashed him one of those sarcastic smiles of his.

"Good for you. She's a great girl and you're lucky you met her. She's a lot more than what a hot-headed brat like you could ask for. But..." his face turned to a threatening look "...if you ever hurt her, I'll make you regret it, understood?".

Charles had to hold back a smile. Behind the cold, emotionless facade of the ex-mercenary, Danny was sensitive and he cared for Eleanor more than he was willing to admit.

"Yes, colonel sir" he nodded and Danny's smile returned.

 

Eleanor stepped in the kitchen and closed the door behind her with a loud bump.

"What was so urgent you had to drag me out of the dinning room?" she pressed anxiously. She was worried as well about the moment Charles would be left alone with Danny.

"I like him" Maddy said. "He's just wonderful. Stick with him, OK?".

Eleanor grinned, more than pleased the other journalist approved of her choice. Maddy was the closest she had to a mother, after all.

"I will" she assured.

 

The moment they were outside of the Archers' flat, Charles was pulled into a passionate kiss.

"OK, I can't say I don't welcome it, but what's that for?" Charles chuckled.

"Nothing, just to thank you for being perfect" Eleanor shrugged smiling.

Charles leaned in to place another kiss on her lips before opening the passenger door of the rental car for her.

* * *

In the meantime, the man in the corner closely observing them picked up his cell phone and quickly reported:

"Sir, I have eye contact with the target".

"Good" Simmons hailed. "Don't touch them just yet. Let them enjoy their holiday. They won't get another, anyway".

Hanging up, he turned to the computer technician to his right. Jenny was anxiously staring at a computer screen.

"With your permission, sir".

"Yeah, start the process" Simmons decided.

Jenny nodded and pressed the enter key.

"That virus is a wonder" she commented.

Simmons let out a small sarcastic chuckle.

"No, darling, it's a lot more than just that. That virus is our way to get the Machine back".


	11. The Crash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have said that before but anyway... For those who have seen Person of Interest, since Reese died in the end, I replaced him with Archer so that Harold still has someone with the skills to intervene. So, enjoy!

New York|three weeks later

"Howzit, bru?" Danny greeted Harold walking in the underground. "How's your Machine doing?".

"It has seen better days" Harold sighed hooked on his computer screen. "That virus almost destroyed it. I managed to retrieve most of the source code but we're still a long way to go".

"Any ideas how that happened?" Archer approached to glance over at his partner's computer.

"I'm not sure yet but it seems to originate from a server somewhere in Warsaw" Harold replied.

"Safety Net has servers in Warsaw" Archer randomly blurted out shrugging.

"And a lot of other companies, too, Mr Archer" Harold shot him a stern glance. "Right now, what matters is that we try to solve it, not whose fault the virus is".

"Fine by me, bru" Danny raised his hands in defense and moved over to take a sip from Harold's cup of tea. "But we can't afford to lose another number".

"We won't, Mr Archer" Harold promised. "We won't".

Out of the blue, the payphone in the corner rang twice. The pair exchanged an anxious look before Archer darted across the room to pick it up.

"731084617" he spoke out loud the received nine digits and then waited for Harold to search the social security number in the system, nervously stepping on his heels.

Once the photo of the person it belonged to appeared on the screen, Harold's eyes widened in utter shock.

"Mr Archer, have you ever mentioned a Charles Leclerc?".

"Ja, some reckless brat from Formula One Eleanor started dating, what about him?".

"He's our next number" Harold stated staunchly.

* * *

Spa, Belgium|Sunday

Eleanor was nervously pacing around Charles' garage while he was talking with his race engineer, just a couple of minutes before the race start. It was supposed to be a pleasant weekend at Spa they both loved but so far it had gone nowhere near pleasant. First, Charles' main engineer had gotten sick before the race so he had to cooperate with a stranger she wasn't sure she trusted, then a minor crash in FP3 he had managed to escape unscathed, and on top of that the light rain this morning. To be honest, it was only a few drops but the bad feeling at the back of Eleanor's mind just wouldn't disappear.

"Cherie, where are you traveling?" Charles chuckled sitting next to her. "I've been calling your name for the last two minutes and you barely noticed".

Eleanor didn't reply, instead snuggled close to his side, in spite of the the cameras being all over Ferrari's garage. Charles frowned heavily and pulled her to a more private side of the garage.

"What is it?" he softly whispered in her ear as he locked her in a tight embrace.

"Be careful, OK?" Eleanor managed out, her voice barely audible.

Charles let a small sigh out and tightened his hold around her.

"Relax, ma petite. I'll be fine" he promised rubbing soothing circles in her back. "Besides, rain used to be one of my biggest strengths in lower categories".

"Yeah, but he both know it has never played on your side in Formula One" Eleanor protested.

Charles' lips formed a small smile and he kissed her forehead as he was called upon.

"Well, maybe that changes today" he shrugged and left her alone in her thoughts.

 

Charles had an excellent start, squeezing between the two Mercedes to move into second only at lap 1. He got good exit out of La Source and followed his teammate up the hill to Eau Rouge and Raiddillon. Soon enough, he was at Sebastian's slipstream and lined up for an overtake at the end of Kemmel Straight. He had the inside line so in theory it should work. However, as he braked for the first of Les Combes, something snapped. His brakes refused to oblige and the massive speed he had gained at the straight at which he approached the corner meant staying on track was impossible. The Ferrari numbered 16 rolled outside the track, spun several times on the gravel trap and finally hit the barriers with a shuddering bump. Charles didn't feel half his body and couldn't build up the strength to inform his race engineer he was in pain. He only caught glimpses of the marshals trying to pull him out of the debris that was once his car and Eleanor's pained eyes.

 

Archer pushed some surprised fans out of the way and ran towards the press pen where Eleanor was seated along with most of her colleagues. He spotted the blonde journalist at the back of the room and was quick to reach her side.

"Eleanor!".

She curiously lifted her eyes to be met with a very breathless Danny Archer darting close to her.

"Danny?" she wondered, eyes wide open in disbelief. "What are you doing here?".

"It doesn't matter" Archer replied dragging her out of the room. "Where is Charles? We need to go immediately".

"He's racing" Eleanor pointed out, all the more confused. "What on earth is going on?".

"You need to follow me" Danny insisted. "You're both in danger".

Eleanor's eyes widened even more, if that was possible.

"We're what?".

Suddenly, the shocked scream of the crowd had her turning around, just in time to watch Charles' accident. Instantly, her body froze and panic started to kick in.

"Charles?" she mumbled in terror, her bottom lip trembling.

Behind her, Archer let a desperate sigh out and, rubbing his face, he picked his phone up.

"Finch, we're late".

* * *

When Pierre entered the hospital waiting room, Eleanor and Sebastian were already there, bleak expressions on their faces and exhaustion all over their features.

"How is he?" Pierre asked, locking Eleanor in a comforting embrace. Much as he disliked her as a journalist, he knew she was in pain too right now.

"He has a broken leg and internal bleeding but the doctors believe he's out of danger" Sebastian explained, the earlier victory adrenaline having disappeared.

Pierre let a sigh of relief out and pulled Eleanor closer, sensing she was about to burst into tears. Across them, Maurizio and Charles' race engineer were loudly arguing about his accident. Considering the few days Eleanor had spent in Italy with her mother once and the lessons she had taken when she was a kid, she knew the language adequately to understand that his brakes had failed. Odd enough since they had checked them before the start.

"It's my fault" she mumbled hiding her face in the crook of Pierre's neck.

The Frenchman took a step back and looked at her confused.

"It's nobody's fault" he assured. "Freak accident".

Eleanor scoffed under her breath. Freak accident. She had heard that before. As far as she was concerned, Charles' crash would never be a freak accident.

"Ms Eleanor Woods?" a male voice distracted her thoughts.

Eleanor turned on her heel and looked at the doctor that was talking to her.

"That's me".

He gave her a tiny sympathetic smile.

"Mr Leclerc is awake. He's asking for you".

Everyone in the room sighed with relief.

"Can I see him?" Eleanor asked eagerly.

The doctor nodded in agreement. Eleanor followed him down the corridor and stepped into the room he indicated.

Charles was lying on the bed with his eyes peacefully closed. As usual, some tufts of his fluffy brown hair were shadowing his forehead but he just didn't look like the Charles Eleanor was used to seeing. He was pale and he had a couple of bruises in his face and hands while he seemed scared, even with his eyes shut closed.

Gulping down her tears, Eleanor carefully sat down next to him and brushed her fingers through his hair. Charles instantly opened his eyes and smiled weakly at her.

"Hey, ma petite" he greeted silently. "Good to see you again".

Eleanor struggled to hold her tears back.

"I thought I lost you" she managed out, her voice breaking in the end. "You OK?".

"A little sore" Charles shrugged, eyes fluttering closed again. "Was scared".

Eleanor grabbed his hand and kissed it softly.

"I'm so sorry, Charles" she whispered in his palm. "I'm so sorry".

* * *

Spa-Francorchamps Circuit

"I admit I'm impressed" Simmons hailed his apprentice as they walked around the paddock. "How come you know about mechanics and cars?".

"Had a feeling you'd make me pretend Leclerc's engineer" Craig joked. "Seriously, though, my uncle owned a garage when I was young. I should have been a better student. He wasn't supposed to survive the crash".

"Doesn't matter, Craig" Simmons assured. "What I wanted was to give the brat Woods a warning. If her boyfriend's almost-fatal accident doesn't scare her enough, we're going after her next".

"Yes, sir. Your word is my command".

 

"How's Mr Leclerc doing?" Harold asked as Archer walked up and down the paddock in search of a potential threat.

"He smashed his leg in the crash so he'll probably lose the rest of the season but other than that, he's fine" Danny replied.

"Very encouraging" Harold sighed. "Any ideas who or what could be a threat, apart from his brakes?".

"So far, no" Danny said when a familiar figure caught his attention. "Wait".

Hiding behind one of the trailers, he watched as Simmons discussed with his right hand in front of the Ferrari hospitality.

"Finch, Simmons is here" he informed.

"He's Ferrari's main sponsor, that doesn't mean anything" Harold objected.

"Ja, ja, you say what you want, bru. I have a good feeling Charles' crash wasn't random" Archer revealed and Harold's eyes opened wide because if what his partner suggested was true, it was bloody terrifying.


	12. We're Both Broken

Sochi, Russia|Thursday

"Is he any better?" Sebastian asked genuinely concerned, after their typical interview.

Eleanor sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"His leg has started to heal and the internal injuries seem to have cured" she explained. "But he's having a rough time. He's constantly having nightmares about the accident".

Sebastian let a heavy sigh out.

"It'll take a while to get over it, give him some time" he gently prompted. "It was a serious crash, it shocked him very much, especially with his past... Make sure you are there for him whenever he needs it".

Eleanor nodded, feeling close to tears.

"I'm scared, Seb" she muttered, not holding back a sob. "That crash changed our lives and I'm afraid it'll never go back to normal and Charles will never be the same again".

Sebastian instantly pulled her in a hug, shushing her softly.

"It'll be OK, you'll see. Everything will go back to the way it was and it'll be as if that day in Spa never happened".

Eleanor lifted her eyes and looked at him as if doubting his words.

"Will it, though?".

"It will, I promise. But until then, you have to be strong for the both of you, OK?".

Eleanor nodded in understanding, taking a silent oath to be there for Charles till the day he was behind the wheel again.

* * *

Charles had been having nightmares ever since his accident in Belgium. Although his therapist had suggested it would become better in time, he was pretty sure it was progressively getting worse. His mind was stuck at Kemmel Straight, him walking wildly on the accelerator trying to stay close to Sebastian, then spinning off track and his race engineer's worried voice on the radio: "Charles, are you OK?".

Charles' eyes opened wide and he sat up straight on the bed, breathing heavily and his heart pounding loudly in his chest. It was a couple of days after Eleanor had returned home from Russia and the fact that he was trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake her up just increased his anxiety. _Don't think about it_ , he forced himself. _It's over._

"Charles?".

Eleanor's worried voice distracted his thoughts and letting a small sigh out he leaned in to softly kiss her lips.

"I'm sorry I woke you up" he sheepishly apologized.

"Doesn't matter" she reassured him. "Are you OK?".

Charles wanted to say he wasn't but he couldn't worry her. What was the point in lying, though? She could see herself that he was terribly upset.

"No" he admitted, lowering his gaze. "I can't stop thinking about it".

Eleanor breathed a knowing sigh out. That crash in Spa had completely destroyed him.

"Come here" she suggested, pulling him gently closer to her.

Charles obliged and lied next to her, his head resting on her chest.

"It'll pass" she whispered kissing his hair as he cried silently. "It'll pass, babe".

* * *

Eleanor was pretending to be calm around Charles but the truth was inside she was boiling with anger. She was almost sure his accident wasn't random and partially blamed Simmons for it. But of course, like so many other occasions in her career and her life on the whole, she had no proof of it. So, first thing to do when she landed in Japan, thus far enough for Charles to figure out, was to find some.

She was well aware she couldn't confirm Simmons had caused Charles' accident, since every piece of information about it was classified, but she could and she would reveal what Safely Net's real job was.

She managed to sneak in Sebastian's driver's room and took the worn-out envelope out of her backpack. She remembered the documents as clearly as the day she had first seen them in Peter's apartment. Safety Net had been looking for those everywhere -the visit the company's hit men had paid her while she was abroad reporting, assured her of that- but simply couldn't find them. Besides, no one would raise suspicions about her ex-lover's favorite café, that's why they were safely buried in one of the flowerbeds.

She quickly went through them to make sure none was missing. _“Funding of the reactivation of the program Northern Lights approved by the United States Government...”, “...the Safety Net company is granted access to all data concerning any citizen of the United States...”, “...also permission to eliminate anything or anyone who might be deemed as a threat to the nation of the United States of America...”_ They'd never stop shocking her but right now they were the only way she had to fight Simmons.

"I thought you said it'd be a private meeting" Rob complained, opening and closing the door of Seb's driver's room as quickly as he could.

"Relax, Simmons is not coming to Japan" Eleanor assured.

The computer technician breathed a sigh out and seemed to calm down a little as he took a seat next to her.

"OK then, ask away".

Eleanor put the envelope back in her bag and took a voice recorder out.

"Before I ask anything, are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into?" she questioned, concern etched on every feature. "Are you sure you're not risking anything? Family? Friends?".

"Eleanor..." Rob sighed. "Peter was my friend but they killed him. Jenny was my girlfriend but she framed me. She almost killed me! I want them to pay for everything they've done, Eleanor, as much as you want. If me telling you what I know about Safety Net helps to do that, that's absolutely fine with me, no matter what happens".

Eleanor gave him a tiny smile.

"OK, then. Let's do this".

 

She wore a smile of pure satisfaction on her face as she walked around the paddock the rest of the day. She had Simmons. He would pay for what he did to Peter, to Charles and so many other people she didn't even what their names were. He would pay for what he did to _her_.

* * *

Charles sat up straight on the bed and tiredly rubbed his eyes. It hadn't been a calm night, nightmares coming back every now and then, and he barely had caught any sleep at all. Also, the fact that Eleanor had flown straight to New York after the Japanese Grand Prix and he was all by himself only made things worse.

He quickly climbed out of the bed and turned the coffee machine on before picking up his phone. He missed Eleanor's voice whenever she wasn't around and he could really use a chat with her right now.

"Tell me you didn't burn anything" came Eleanor's amused voice from the other end of the line. In the background, he could hear engine sounds so he guessed she was driving.

"I love you too Eleanor" he chuckled taking a sip from his cup of coffee. "When are you coming home?".

She let a small sigh out and Charles could see her shrug as she replied:

"It depends. Other things first".

"Like what?" he frowned.

"Like..." she gulped anxiously, debating whether she should tell him or not. "Like exposing Simmons and his company".

Charles felt the air leaving his lungs and his legs started shaking.

"Tell me you didn't do anything stupid" he pleaded clutching the kitchen counter in front of him.

"I saw Maddy's editor earlier" she explained trying to sound calm. "It'll make headlines in this month's issue later this week".

Charles swore his heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be happening.

"Eleanor, what did you do?" he gasped in terror.

"I'm sorry, Charles. I had to".

Charles ran his fingers through his hair and desperately snorted out.

"Please, get out of the car and go somewhere safe" he suggested shocked.

"Charles, you know that doesn't make sense" she tried to reason with him.

"Just do it, please!" he insisted and she sighed.

He waited on his tiptoes for her to tell him she had. She never did. Instead...

"My brakes!" Eleanor exclaimed suddenly. "My brakes don't work!".

Charles was almost sure he had stopped breathing as he nervously started pacing around the room. He forced the memories of his accident at Spa out of his mind to concentrate on his girlfriend.

"Eleanor, please, try again".

"The brakes don't work!" she repeated loudly. "The car is speeding up!".

Suddenly, there was a shuddering bump and Charles froze.

"Eleanor?" he managed out.

All he was met with was silence.


	13. Asking For Help

New York

"Howzit, Finch?" Archer entered the underground. "Anything new?".

Harold lifted his eyes from his computer and looked at the South African behind his glasses.

"Mr Archer, good morning" he greeted back. "I have good news and bad news. Good news is I found out whose fault the virus is. Turns out you were right".

"So it was Safety Net" Danny looked slightly surprised himself. "And the bad news?".

"We have a number" Harold hesitated.

"Why is the number bad news?" Archer knitted his eyebrows suspiciously.

Harold didn't reply, just kept staring at the floor.

"Who is it, Finch?" Archer sighed.

Harold turned his computer screen towards Danny so that he could see himself.

"Eleanor Woods" he confirmed.

* * *

Maddy took the last sip of coffee and placed her empty mug on the table in front of her.

"So..." she started folding her arms in her chest "...care to explain why you made me come here?" she gestured to the busy café.

Charles took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"We need to talk".

"About?" Maddy frowned.

"Eleanor" he replied sheepishly.

"What about Eleanor? You're thinking of proposing?".

Charles gave her a sad smile.

"I wish it were so simple" he sighed.

Maddy was getting increasingly nervous. First, he had suddenly called her to ask for some sort of help, then he had turned up to New York without Eleanor, claiming they had to talk about her and now he was avoiding the question. She couldn't help but worry about her friend.

"You know you can trust me, right?" she comfortingly took his hand in hers.

Charles nodded and pulled a breath clear of his emotions.

"I'm afraid I lost her" he confessed quietly.

Instinctively, Maddy snatched her hands back and looked at him scared.

"What do you mean _lost her_?".

"Ever since my accident in Spa, Eleanor is blaming Simmons for it and I get that because he has threatened us both in the past but Eleanor wants to prove it" Charles started explaining, which wasn't exactly easy given the shock on Maddy's expression. "Last weekend, after the race in Japan, she didn't fly home. She came to New York. When I called her, two days ago, she told me she had seen your editor and gave him the story on Simmons. While we were talking, she realized her brakes had failed and then..." he paused to wipe away some tears "...I think she crashed".

Maddy's eyes opened wide and she covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

"I can't reach her ever since and the more I think about it, the more I believe it was Simmons" Charles continued. "I have no idea what to do".

Maddy knew she had to comfort him because he was crying now and he looked desperate but she needed to put her own thoughts together first.

"Eleanor, what did you get yourself into?" she whispered sighing.

* * *

Archer was worriedly watching his wife as she absentmindedly stared out of the window of their living room that night. She had come home with the news that Eleanor had gone MIA and she hadn't spoken a word to anyone. Danny was concerned about the young journalist himself but seeing Maddy like that just broke his heart. Sighing, he approached her side and locked her in a protective embrace.

"Maddy..." he whispered softly kissing her temple. "It'll be alright."

The journalist sighed heavily.

"You know, Danny, before Eleanor's mother died, she made me promise her that I'll protect Eleanor like the apple of my eye and I did. I promised to keep her safe, no matter what. I failed, Danny. I failed her".

Archer's heart clenched at the pain in Maddy's voice.

"It'll be alright" he repeated. "I'll find her, OK? I'll bring her back. That's my promise to you".

* * *

Early the next morning, Danny decisively walked in the underground.

"Mr Archer, it's early..." Harold muttered surprised.

"Finch, we need to find Eleanor" Archer demanded. "I don't care what you'll do or won't do, bru. You can punch your damn Machine till it spits out her current location but you'll find her, understood?".


	14. You're Safe And Sound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it took a while but it's here! I hope you didn't die from suspense! Since we're approaching the end of this, I'd love to hear what you guys think. I never thought it was a great story but what does it look to you? Let me know in the comments!

New York

Charles had agreed on Maddy's proposal to stay with them for a couple of days but now he was regretting it. Everything on the flat reminded him of _her_ : the little decoration touches she had given it, her pictures on the walls, her articles that still laid on Maddy's office, all the Ferrari merchandise she had bought for Rudo...

He decided he needed some fresh air. He climbed down the stairs and took a walk around the block. As he passed by the newsstand just opposite the Archers', a front page of the new Vital Affairs magazine instantly captivated his attention: “Rupert Simmons' company spies on US people”. By Eleanor Woods.

Charles took the magazine in his hands and quickly glanced at the article.

"You gotta be kidding me" escaped his mouth.

* * *

Jenny Green, computer technician of Safety Net, was sat in her living room processing the Machine's files when all out of a sudden she heard a loud noise from the kitchen. Frowning heavily, she put her laptop aside and stood up to head to the kitchen, only to get scared to death at the sight of the unknown man.

"Impressive lock" Archer commented. "I had a rough time trying to break it".

He noticed she reached for the knife on the kitchen counter on her left.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" he warned pointing his gun at her.

Jenny sighed and raised her hands, accepting defeat.

"Wait, I know you" she took in. "You're the guy that saved me from Rob".

"Come on, we both know I didn't do that. That was you being a drama queen" Danny scoffed. "You and your boss set it all up to test whether the Machine still works so that you can infect it with a virus and get all its feeds".

"Hot and clever" Jenny remarked with a small sarcastic smile. "So, if you know, why did you break into my apartment?".

"See, that's the problem with you computer freaks. You're so glued to your screens you can't see the bigger picture. You think you're helping the world by working for Simmons -and that's true to some extent- but he'll also use the Machine for the wrong reasons and it could all come back to bite you. Like, now, your pal kidnapped a friend of mine because she exposed his business and you have to help me find her".

"And if I refuse?" Jenny raised an eyebrow skeptically.

Archer smiled and turned his weapon over in his hands.

"You know better than to do that".

* * *

"I was looking forward to meeting you again, Eleanor" Simmons walked in the dark basement and approached the young journalist who was tied up on an uncomfortable chair.

"That was before or after you saw my article in Vital Affairs?" Eleanor scoffed.

"Oh, yeah, about that... We should talk".

He pulled a chair next to her and took a seat before passing her a cell phone.

"What am I supposed to do with that?" Eleanor snapped.

"Call your editor and ask him to withdraw the article" Simmons demanded. "Tell him it's all a lie".

"Never" Eleanor retorted immediately. "You have to pay for everything you've done. You've killed people. I'm not letting you get away with that".

Simmons gave her a small sarcastic smile.

"How little do you know about me, darling!" he exclaimed. "Now, listen to me because I won't repeat myself. I'll give you two options. Either you take the article back yourself or I order Craig here to put a bullet in your head and make it look like a suicide".

His right hand on her left fired his gun to emphasize his boss' point.

"The choice is really yours" Simmons smirked leaning backwards in his chair and folding his arms in front of his chest.

Before Eleanor could reply, there were shootings. The men fell on the floor kneecapped while Eleanor was startled to see Danny Archer coming out of the shadows.

"Mr Archer?" she blinked in surprise.

"It's Danny for you" the South African grinned at her. "How are you?".

"Tired, sore, tied to a chair but other than that OK" she shrugged.

Archer nodded taking in her features. She had bruises on her face and blood in the corner of her mouth but he was more than relieved she was alive.

"Come on" he prompted releasing her hands and legs from the chair. "I think you just chose me".

* * *

Danny had insisted she take care of her wounds before letting anyone see her, mainly because he knew Maddy would go crazy if she saw her friend like that. Harold managed to clean the blood from her mouth and relieve the swelling in her hands and face and so Archer reluctantly agreed to let her see Charles and Maddy.

It was dinner time when Eleanor and Danny reached the Archers' and she immediately darted to the kitchen. Rudo was asking Charles about his teammate and Maddy was instructing her son to eat his vegetables, they were cute and she had to suppress a chuckle.

"You have room for another one?" she smiled leaning against the door frame.

In a heartbeat, Maddy stood up and locked her younger friend in a tight embrace, a few stray tears running down her cheeks.

"Are you OK?" she managed out. "I went mad".

"I'm fine, I promise" Eleanor smiled.

"Aunt Eleanor!" Rudo squealed happily and rushed to her side.

Eleanor untangled herself from Maddy and kneeled down to take the child in her arms.

"Hey, buddy. I missed you" she ruffled through the boy's hair.

"Ja, me too, but I had so much fun with Charles" Rudo informed her clapping his tiny hands. "He told me everything about Ferrari. You should bring him visit us more often".

Eleanor chuckled and kissed his forehead. Behind her, Danny indifferently walked in the kitchen. Maddy captured his lips in a passionate kiss.

"Thank you" she whispered. "I knew you would make it".

"Aunt Eleanor, what happened to your eye?" Rudo worriedly asked pointing at her black swollen eye.

"I had an accident on my way here" she explained in a kid-friendly way.

"But will be OK, right?" the boy hesitated.

Eleanor looked at Charles who had tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess" she replied. "I'll be OK".

* * *

Once Eleanor had lied on the bed, Charles was next to her kissing her lips hard, one hand over her belly.

"You really scared me" he informed her, breaking the kiss for air.

"I'm sorry, babe" she apologized cupping his cheek. "But it had to be done".

"Just don't do it again, OK?".

Eleanor smiled.

"Never again, I promise".

Charles nodded and leaned in to place another kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes and sighed contently against his lips.

"By the way, it was a great article" Charles suddenly remembered. "I shouldn't say that but I'm proud of you".

Eleanor couldn't help but grin.


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it. We've reached the end! I hope it lived up to your expectations and it didn't disappoint you at the end.
> 
> Thank you all so much for leaving kudos and comments! I appreciate them all more than you think. <3

Spa, Belgium|August 2020

"How did you find out?" Maddy questioned eagerly as they stood next to the Ferrari pit wall before the race start. "Tell me all about it!".

"Not much to tell, really" Eleanor shrugged smiling. "They just called me and said “Ms Woods, we are from the Times, we are impressed by your work, would you be interested in an interview?” And that's how I found myself working as a police reporter".

"You deserve it so much!" Maddy exclaimed giving her younger friend a warm hug. "Exposing Safety Net was just the spark to pull off things".

"Ja, Simmons was convicted to 30 years, after all" Archer added. "Even with a broken leg".

Eleanor chuckled under her breath.

"I still don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you enough for saving me".

"Convince Harold to make him use less firearms when he's saving people" Maddy shot her husband a strict glance and Danny scoffed.

"I told ya I'm perfectly safe, you have nothing to worry about, huh" he protested.

"I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Maddy" Eleanor said looking dead-serious. "You're a father, Danny, and especially now you should be careful" she pointed a finger at him gaining a half-hearted nod from the South African. "Congratulations, by the way! Is it a boy or a girl?".

Maddy brought a hand down to caress the bump on her belly.

"I've decided I don't want to know" she informed the other journalist.

"Ja, it was one of the stupidest things she's ever done" Danny confirmed huffing. "I'm sure it's a girl, though".

Before Eleanor could ask how, Rudo appeared at the entrance of the Ferrari garage across them.

"Mummy, daddy! Seb and Charles showed me the garage!" he squealed running down the pit lane, the two Ferrari drivers trailing after him. "Seb let me sit in his car!".

"Very well, darling" Maddy laughed kissing her son's head before nudging Danny who was trying to glare the German driver to death. Archer would be forever Archer, she sighed.

Next to them, Eleanor burst into a big smile at the sight of the Monegasque who was instantly on her side, circling his arms around her waist and kissing her temple.

"See, he's getting distracted right now" Sebastian remarked at the exchange.

"I'm leading the championship, Seb" Charles reminded him playfully. "Could beat you this year".

"Hey, hold on there, kid. I have five championships. Might take you a while to beat that".

Eleanor chuckled amused and slapped the German's arm.

"You'll never grow up, guys".

Danny interrupted them saying they had to take their seats for the race while Sebastian left for a quick chat with his race engineer so the young couple was left alone.

"Finally, some peace and quiet" Charles sighed, placing small kisses all over Eleanor's neck.

"Charles, we're in public" she tried to reason with him.

"So? Let them stare" he shrugged making his way down to her shoulder.

Before he could get any more intimate, Maurizio was darting from the garage close to them.

"Ms Woods, how lovely to see you!".

Eleanor felt Charles snorting in annoyance in the crook of her neck and she had to hold back a small laugh. His team principal wasn't only great at messing up the strategy, he had bad timing, too.

"Likewise, Mr Arrivabene" she smiled trying her best not to laugh at Charles' face.

"There's going to be a formal announcement soon but I wanted to tell you first" Maurizio hesitated and at the puzzled look she gave him he went on explaining. "We signed with a new sponsor -a company group of banks- and I checked their record myself, they're absolutely legal, I assure you".

Charles breathed in heavily, then slowly exhaled. That was why he had interrupted them? This had to be a joke.

"You can't imagine how pleased I am to hear that" Eleanor informed the Italian, her voice breaking at the end with laughter.

Once Maurizio was out of their sight, she turned to her boyfriend with an amused expression on her face.

"Don't punch him, OK? The guy is scared to death since everything with Simmons happened. And I thought you had a championship to focus on?".

Charles' eyes brightened up.

"I have and I will" he decided. "But you'll have to reward me afterwards".

Eleanor's lips formed a cheeky smile he couldn't resist. Almost.

"Hey, drivers' parade now" Pierre slapped his friend's arm. "Flirting after the race. Otherwise, Formula 1 should be rated R. And I don't want that. Not when I'm challenging you for the championship".

Charles groaned in frustration. He just wanted five minutes alone with Eleanor, why people didn't get that?

"Come on, Pierre's right" she ruffled through his fluffy hair. "We'll have time after the race".

Charles looked like he might object but his race engineer's voice cut him in:

"Charles, ready for the drivers' parade?".

The Monegasque nodded but Eleanor sensed his hold around her tighten and a deep breath escaped his lips.

"What is it?" she asked gently, rubbing his hand in her waist with her thumb. "You're nervous about the race?".

"I just don't know if I'm ready" Charles' gaze wandered around the circuit. "Here, where everything happened... I'm not sure I've overcome it".

Eleanor brought his face down and captured his lips in a soft kiss.

"You can do it" she assured. "I believe in you".

Charles closed his eyes for a moment, as if to mentally prepare himself for the oncoming race, and when he opened them again he had a small smile plastered on his face.

"OK" he nodded. "I'm winning this one".

Eleanor grinned wide and kissed his cheek.

"Go get them, champ!" she instructed as he let go of her to join Pierre for the drivers' parade.

She watched him walking away with a fond smile on her face. This could work out perfectly fine, she thought to herself.

**Author's Note:**

> SO... Opinions anyone?


End file.
